Rachel A Demita talked about Team USA’s combination on her podcast, via YouTube. She believes the team should give more chances to its younger players, especially when their combinations have produced better numbers.
According to HITC’s Aryan Chadha, a lineup of Clark, Bueckers, Howard, Boston and Reese has recorded a 76+ net rating. This is much higher than the 34+ net rating of the veteran starting five of Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
Demita also disagreed with the idea that the younger players should only use the tournament to learn.
“Like, these youngins, that’s not like they’re teenagers,” Demita said. “It’s not like the young intern squad is a bunch of teenagers. They’re 24, 25, 26 years old. They’re professional basketball players.”
This point is especially important for players like Clark, Bueckers, and Reese. All three have already played in front of huge crowds and faced high expectations during their careers.
Their experience could help Kara Lawson trust the younger players more. Team USA could give them bigger roles as the team moves further into the World Cup.
Team USA young stars already have big-stage experience
Rachel A Demita said the younger players already know how to handle pressure on big stages. Clark and Reese became major stars during their college rivalry.
Bueckers also played under huge attention at UConn. Demita pointed to the large audiences they faced and the huge TV numbers from Clark’s college games.
“These young players have been on these massive stages. I think that they’re okay with the pressure,” Demita said in the same podcast. “I think that they’re okay again with the physicality that FIBA is not nearly as physical as the WNBA.”
Their performances at the World Cup also support Demita’s point. Clark leads Team USA in assists with 6.3 per game. Bueckers is scoring 10.3 points per game, while Reese is averaging six rebounds per game.
However, Team USA still needs its veteran players. Stewart remains one of the team’s top scorers and rebounders. Young is also leading the Americans in scoring with 11.3 points per game.
The same HITC report also said France could give Team USA a tough challenge in the knockout rounds. France played very well in the preliminary games and moved to No. 1 in the FIBA power rankings.
In the end, Demita is not saying that Team USA should remove its veteran players. She wants the team to choose its starting and closing lineups based on current form instead of reputation or experience.
The younger stars have already shown that they can handle pressure. Because of this, Lawson may need to give them a bigger role in the starting lineup as Team USA looks to win another World Cup title.