The last time Team USA played in an international tournament was an embarrassment. The inaugural FIBA World Cup took place in China this past summer and, after taking home the gold in the previous five events, the Americans finished seventh. They lost back-to-back games against France and Serbia to close out the tournament. It was…
One of Twitter’s premier video coordinators (and a personal friend) Zak Boisvert is an assistant coach at West Point who has noted how the NBA has moved towards a shift in off-ball placement of shooters around a pick-and-roll. On side ball screens where there is one player placed in the corner on the same side,…
In a shock to no one, not all stats are created equal. One player’s points, rebounds or assists are not the same as another’s. Yet, there are a few reasons some guys’ stats are more empty than others. The first is that some stats are fungible. An average game is about 100 possessions on offense…
After an entertaining, yet tumultuous pre-tournament schedule, Gregg Popovich’s men’s national squad arrived in China to defend its throne at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He experimented with a variety of lineups throughout the exhibition slate, and it’s time to hone in on some optimal combinations. While the U.S. hasn’t lost a World Cup or…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba), Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Brandon Jefferson (@Jefferson_Hoops) of The Basketball Writers preview the 2019 FIBA World Cup. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Team USA’s roster? Which teams pose the biggest threat to the Americans? Is Team USA in legitimate danger of…
Over the course of recent history, the general theme of many NBA playoff series has been to go smaller and smaller. In this offense-first, perimeter-oriented game of the modern NBA, smaller lineups have thrived during both the regular season and playoffs. Coaches are quicker to pull the plug on big men who can’t slide on…
Nikola Jokic has emerged as one of the league’s top offensive big men. His rise has helped the Denver Nuggets become one of the top two Western Conference teams all season despite numerous injuries and changes to their rotation. Jokic special is as unorthodox as they come, combining fancy and unique passing with a soft…
