{"id":89052,"date":"2024-08-06T10:20:20","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T14:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=89052"},"modified":"2024-08-06T10:20:20","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T14:20:20","slug":"paris-olympics-pros-take-usa-3x3-team-to-task","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/06\/paris-olympics-pros-take-usa-3x3-team-to-task\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Olympics: Pros Take USA 3&#215;3 Team To Task"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On Monday, Team USA\u2019s men\u2019s 3&#215;3 team was soundly beaten by the Netherlands in the pool round and eliminated from medal contention. They went just 2-5 in the Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>With a team headlined by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/fredeji01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jimmer Fredette<\/a>, of BYU fame, this wasn\u2019t the result that was expected. After all, he was the 2023 USA Basketball 3&#215;3 Male Athlete of the Year. In fact, he was the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n<p>Team USA teammate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barryca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Canyon Barry<\/a>, the son of Hall of Fame forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barryri01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rick Barry<\/a>, was the 2022 FIBA 3&#215;3 AmeriCup MVP. 34-year-old Kareem Maddox is a two-time FIBA 3&#215;3 World Cup Tournament MVP. Dylan Travis made his 3&#215;3 debut in the 2022 FIBA 3&#215;3 AmeriCup.<\/p>\n<h2>Pros Take USA 3&#215;3 Team To Task<\/h2>\n<p>As it turned out, Team USA struggled to defend and connect from beyond the arc. On top of that, their team captain (Fredette) exited Lille with a torn adductor. If Barry hadn\u2019t scored 30 combined points against France and China on what was a hot day for the 30-year-old, they may have left the Olympics winless.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Jimmer Fredette on IG: \u201cI\u2019m sorry to all the fans who supported me and our team as I wish it could have gone differently.\u201d <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IlWbv4ymIK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/IlWbv4ymIK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ballislife\/status\/1820228176489967822?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Alas, Monday\u2019s loss was actually a merciful end for a team that clearly wasn\u2019t up to the task.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, at least for Fredette, Barry, Maddox, and Travis, there\u2019s now a general sentiment that the U.S. didn\u2019t send the best team that they could to the Olympics. BIG3 co-founder Ice Cube offered a challenge to the U.S. Olympic team, betting that the BIG3 All-Stars could defeat them. In response, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/teaguje01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeff Teague<\/a> told his <em>Club 520 Podcast<\/em> co-hosts that Team USA \u201cwould have had some more talent in there\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Jeff Teague: &#8220;Joe, Beasley, Jordan Crawford. We woulda killed them. I coulda been a sub.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Club 520 Podcast | <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wellssssssssss?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@wellssssssssss<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4MsU8W3aNU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4MsU8W3aNU<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xmurNJyMNk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/xmurNJyMNk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ballislife\/status\/1820513548339949971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, if you would\u2019ve got Joe (Johnson), (Michael Beasley), Jordan Crawford, we would\u2019ve killed them,\u201d Teague continues. \u201cIt would have been lit bro. I could\u2019ve been a sub. We would\u2019ve won a gold medal\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Teague, a former NBA guard, made his BIG3 debut as the captain of the 3 Headed Monsters last season.<\/p>\n<p>Getting into the merits of the discussion, Beasley and Johnson are considered two of the best isolation scorers in the game.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Michael Beasley almost outscored the entire opposing team. He had 17 in the win and the Enemies had 23. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4CvHMUBIsA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4CvHMUBIsA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ballislife\/status\/1820208727611654190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Johnson excelled in one-one-one situations even in the NBA, as did Crawford. There\u2019s a question of whether the 43-year-old Johnson would\u2019ve been able to play the grueling pace. However, there\u2019s no doubt that Teague and Co. would\u2019ve been more skilled quartet.<\/p>\n<h3>What About Current NBA Players?<\/h3>\n<p>Interestingly, there isn\u2019t a call for Team USA to train current NBA players for 3&#215;3 tournaments. Perhaps it could happen, as there are often players <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/28\/paris-olympics-jaylen-brown-fires-back-grant-hill-controversy\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">who feel snubbed<\/a> by the USA Basketball selection committee. Just imagine if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/georgpa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul George<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/irvinky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyrie Irving<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brownja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaylen Brown<\/a> were on the 3&#215;3 roster. Whether their teammate was Fredette or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesmi02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike James<\/a>, the EuroLeague\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/07\/nba-mike-james-euroleague-all-time-leading-scorer\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">all-time leading scorer<\/a>, they may have dominated.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I definitely woulda have suited up 3on3 for the Olympics if given the opportunity. Idk if I\u2019m qualified to play or even in the list of a possibility but just saying i would play lol<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mike James (@TheNatural_05) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheNatural_05\/status\/1820567695894745291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Of course, the 3&#215;3 game is different than the style played in the NBA. The court and ball are smaller. There are only three total timeouts and two of them are technical.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, their talent level suggests they would\u2019ve had much more success than Fredette, Barry, Maddox, and Travis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Monday, Team USA\u2019s men\u2019s 3&#215;3 team was soundly beaten by the Netherlands in the pool round and eliminated from medal contention. They went just 2-5 in the Paris Olympics. With a team headlined by Jimmer Fredette, of BYU fame, this wasn\u2019t the result that was expected. After all, he was the 2023 USA Basketball [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":89079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[60,1608,62,3],"tags":[50350,200,1410,1052],"class_list":["post-89052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-olympics","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","tag-big3","tag-jeff-teague","tag-jimmer-fredette","tag-olympics"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}