After going 3-0 in group play, LeBron James and Team USA have secured a spot in the Olympic quarterfinals, where they will face Brazil.
Earlier on Saturday, James spoke about some of the teams the Americans need to be ready to face during the knockout round, and he shared some interesting thoughts on France, a team the U.S. could end up playing for gold.
LeBron James said USA Basketball needs to be ready for Canada, Germany & others in knockout round.
James on France: “I wasn’t very impressed with their last game. I didn’t think they were ready for the physicality of Germany. Other than that, they were playing some good ball.” pic.twitter.com/WgH8CjnNXW— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 3, 2024
France went 2-1 in group play, losing to Germany in the game that James referenced. France and Germany were both 2-0 going into that matchup before the Germans earned an 85-71 victory.
France is led by players like Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier and Matthew Strazel. Those five comprised the team’s starting lineup against Germany.
While not all of those players are known as scorers, France could have used some scoring help in the loss to Germany, as the team didn’t have a single player with 15 points or more. Wembanyama led the way with 14 and finished with a double-double by also grabbing 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for the French.
Wembanyama and company will be tested again in their quarterfinal matchup against Canada. The Canadians went 3-0 in the group stage.
While the Americans haven’t always looked perfect this summer (dating back to the USA Basketball Showcase), they’ve yet to lose a game and are looking to win gold once again. But for now, they need to focus on Brazil.
If both Team USA and France win their next two games, they’ll face off for gold on Aug. 10. A matchup between the two squads would be fascinating for a variety of reasons, and James’ recent comments on France could serve as some bulletin board material in that case.
But there’s a long way to go until then, and all eight remaining teams need to take things one game at a time. James knows what it takes to win gold at the Olympics, and it’s a safe bet that he isn’t getting ahead of himself with three wins still standing between his squad and the ultimate goal.
