Valančiūnas may pose a problem in the paint and on the boards, for Team USA, who has been hammered on the glass against bigger teams.
are the two back-up bigs Kerr has used the most. They each secured four rebounds on Friday.
Kerr could decide to start one of them next to Jackson and immediately try to limit Lithuania’s obvious strength. One of his assistant coaches, Tyronn Lue, is famous for designing defenses to take away an opponent’s strength, especially in playoff settings. But going big against Lithuania would take some of the transition offense away that the Americans typically feature., who produced 17 points Friday and is USA’s leading scorer for the tournament.
The irony is Team USA, as of Saturday, is second at the World Cup in rebounds, tied with Angola, at 42 boards per game. But when the Americans find themselves in a tight game, it is so glaringly obvious as to why: they haven’t been good enough in the paint in those situations.“I think that’s why we play exhibition games, to kind of get tested so you’re prepared when it really hits you in a game with real implications,”said.
Where they have to get better is against players the likes of Valančiūnas, who will be commanding all sorts of attention on Sunday.Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.Follow Joe on Twitter
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