Members of the Team USA basketball squad seem to be having a hard time adjusting to basketball outside of the NBA.
“Team USA is still in a feeling-out period when it comes to playing with each other, and one noticeable observation is that they’re still in NBA mode,” wrote Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports.
“Throughout the games, multiple players, from Jayson Tatum to Bradley Beal, have been staring down the officials following no-calls as they’re accustomed to receiving touch fouls or star-treatment officiating in the NBA.”
FIBA referees tend to call fouls far less often than NBA referees do. For many players, getting to the charity stripe is a crucial part of being effective on the court. Evidently, drawing fouls is easier said than done when it comes to international competition.
Team USA is off to a disastrous start this summer. After being upset by Nigeria in an exhibition game, the team suffered another exhibition loss to Australia.
Portland Trail Blazers superstar guard Damian Lillard led Team USA with 22 points in Monday’s loss. Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant added 17 points of his own, and Washington Wizards superstar Bradley Beal was the only other American in double digits with 12 points.
Team USA will need to make some major adjustments and get used to FIBA officiating in order to have a successful summer at the Tokyo Olympics.
