The World Has Caught Up as Team USA Faced Stiffer Competition in 2024 Olympics, Nick Young Claims.
Former NBA and Golden State Warriors champion Nick Young took to X to criticize Team USA’s selection committee for prioritizing defense over scoring. After witnessing Team USA’s narrow victories in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Young expressed his disappointment, arguing that the team’s focus on defense led to offensive struggles.
He pointed out that certified scorers were overlooked in favor of defensive specialists, citing the example of three young NBA players.
Young highlighted the issue by stating that the NBA would send a player like Josh Hart, whose role is primarily defensive, instead of players like Tyler Herro or Malik Monk, who are known for their scoring ability. He noted that Team USA ended up facing opponents like Bogdan Bogdanovic and Dennis Schröder, who excel in scoring, and barely managed to beat them.
The victorious Team USA roster featured elite defenders such as the Boston Celtics’ Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, along with the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis and the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo, who all excel on both ends of the court. However, their defensive strengths were tested in tough semifinal and final games against Serbia and host nation France.
In the semifinal against Nikola Jokic-led Serbia, Team USA trailed by double digits before rallying to win 95-91. In the final against France, they relied on a spectacular fourth-quarter shooting performance from Steph Curry to secure a 98-87 victory. Young’s criticism underscored the challenges Team USA faced in reclaiming their crown.
Nick Young claims that the world has caught up, leading to tougher competition for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics.
The U.S. men’s basketball team debuted at the Paris 2024 Olympics against Serbia, led by reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Nick Young compared the current Team USA’s opponents to those faced by the original Dream Team. Unlike the 1992 Dream Team, which faced limited NBA talent, this year’s Olympics saw a significant increase in competition, with 51 international players on NBA rosters, including top talent like MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
This increased competition was evident as Team USA struggled to achieve blowout wins, including a rematch with South Sudan. Young emphasized that the world has indeed caught up, which is positive for the sport, and Team USA must adapt to this new level of competition to succeed in the 2028 Olympics, which will be hosted on home soil.