There are several reasons why Team USA ultimately fell short at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, falling in the quarter-finals to France then subsequently to Serbia in the ensuing consolation game. The principal scapegoat most will bring up is the fact that so many talented American players simply opted not to suit up and play for their country this summer.
That’s definitely a strong argument, but as Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich made ever so clear, this summer’s team wasn’t ever about the players that weren’t there, but rather about the players that were. A rather rag-tag group of mainly role players who had never played with one another gave up their summer to go out and play ball for the United States.