Kara Lawson & Team USA Update

D uke coach Kara Lawson is coaching Team USA in the FIBA World Cup, and while the U.S. is favored, the team has been a bit up and down. They blew out China in the opener, 94-61, nipped Italy in the second game, 55-52, then blew out Czechia in the third game, 105-64.

People online are giving Kara Lawson guff because the U.S. is not crushing everyone, and are questioning her rotation choices.

It's nothing new. Steve Kerr got the same business when he didn't use Jayson Tatum as much as people thought that he should.

There are a couple of basic points to keep in mind. First, the U.S. has long dominated because the rest of the world had not caught up. Well, it's catching up now, and there are some quality teams now.

And second, none of us know what she sees in the gym or which players work best together. She's going with experience, bringing Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese off the bench, which seems to bother a lot of fans. If it all works out and the U.S. wins gold, it's not an important issue.

If they fall short, though, people will never let it go.

However, defense, ball movement, and three-point shooting are all going to be critical, and all three are points of emphasis for Lawson. As long as her team does those things and plays with passion, as she asked, we can live with whatever happens.

The next game is early Thursday morning, 5:30 a.m. Eastern, vs. Hungary.

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