Team USA put the finishing touches on their World Cup exhibition schedule on Monday morning in Sydney, defeating an unimpressive Canada team 84-68 in what was a sloppy affair (19 turnovers by USA).
While the matchup featured plenty of miscues from Team USA and almost non-existent 3-point shooting (2-of-14), there was plenty of positives from the Celtics involved. All four C’s were mainstays in Greg Popovich’s rotation in the final tuneup, looking like they have cemented themselves all as key contributors when the real games begin next week. A few takeaways from the matchup heading into next week’s FIBA World Cup:
Jaylen Brown’s efficiency stole the show.
In what was easily his best performance on Team USA so far, the 22-year-old led the Americans with 19 points off the bench in the win over just 19 minutes. His efficiency was more impressive than the volume as Brown was 8-of-11 from the field, while knocking down 1-of-2 shots from 3-point range.
Playing solely in the frontcourt (and even a stretch five for one short stint), Brown used his speed with success against bigger players on Canada to get to the rim with strong finishes. He also got some easy points in the post against smaller defenders and found some open opportunities in transition, showing off the skillset that have made the Celtics so high on his potential over the last few years.
?? @FCHWPO paces @usabasketball's victory over @CanBball with 19 PTS on 8-11 shooting! #USABMNT #USAGotGame pic.twitter.com/cuKoE07UZZ
— NBA (@NBA) August 26, 2019
Kembaaaaaaa pic.twitter.com/87fRJ4Zkqp
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) August 26, 2019
Of course the play of the game so far was started by Marcus Smart doing Marcus Smart things pic.twitter.com/s847EhSY1X
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) August 26, 2019