The Paris Olympics are drawing to an in depth, and Group USA is in a dominant place in males’s basketball. An enormous 122-87 win over Brazil within the quarterfinals takes USA to a 4-0 file within the video games, with a mean win margin of 24.75 factors. It’s precisely the type of efficiency the staff wished in Paris, and the assertion we wished to see.
Evan Turner of The Level Ahead Podcast was joined by Payton Pritchard of the Celtics to debate whether or not USA can deliver house the gold. Pritchard is uniquely positioned to debate the staff’s potential with three of his teammates in Boston present representing america in Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holliday, and Derrick White.
Like most basketball followers, Pritchard was shocked when Tatum didn’t play within the USA’s first sport once more Serbia, seen as a essential assertion sport in opposition to Nikola Jokic.
“Everyone knows how proficient he’s,” Pritchard mentioned, “I’ve been in conditions like that. To not his degree, however it’s a humbling expertise.” Each athlete seems like they need to be taking part in, contributing, and making a distinction — no matter expertise degree. That confidence and drive make them higher, and in the end Pritchard thinks it’ll be an excellent expertise for the Celtics mega star. “I’m excited to see what he does with that. That simply provides extra gas to the fireplace.”
Pritchard thinks that being knocked down the pecking order on Group USA will encourage Tatum to return again to the NBA subsequent yr and wish to show his dominance much more, maybe even to run it again and win one other title with Boston. “Now you gotta present folks once more, as a result of they doubting,” he says, “I’m wanting ahead to JT proving them fallacious.”
Exterior of taking part in alongside three of the present Group USA members, Pritchard had hands-on expertise with this squad. Named to the choose staff, he practiced alongside the staff that went to Paris, and bought a way of their potential. It was much less about merely taking part in in opposition to the greats of the fashionable period that appealed to Pritchard, however an opportunity to look at their preparation.
“What time are they waking up? Simply analyzing all that type of stuff. That’s what I used to be most wanting ahead to. It’s simply having the ability to take a few issues by way of what they did for his or her physique. When are they lifting? All these types of issues.”
One hypothetical query that Turner requested didn’t require a second of thought: If the 2023-24 Boston Celtics went to the Olympics and competed in opposition to the world, may they take house the gold medal?
“I’d wager my cash on it that we might. I’m not gonna say it’s a executed deal for certain […] You win an NBA Championship. Undergo a complete season like that and be taught to play collectively — yeah, we’d be alright.”
Group USA’s subsequent take a look at comes within the semi-finals in opposition to Serbia within the rematch. It’ll be one other likelihood to show who runs the world in males’s basketball.
