USA crush hapless Italy but learn little

September 5, 2023

The USA made light work of Italy in the 2023 FIBA World Cup quarter final but don’t read too much into it. For all the hope of Luigi Datome bringing the magic, it was Jalen Brunson and the gang who took charge from the off.

Paint and Paolo

There was certainly some promise for the USA early in one department. After picking up two offensive boards on their first possession, a short while later there was the rare sighting of a board by Jaren Jackson Jr. JJJ has been woeful at collecting boards so far this tournament but one fell into his hands on the offensive end.

Paolo Banchero entered a little earlier than expected as Jackson picked up two fouls quickly, forcing him to sit. Banchero had indicated he would play internationally for Italy before opting instead for the USA. It hasn’t sat well with Italy fans. There were light boos when he first hit the floor but the Italy fans were so few in number it wasn’t all that audible.

Make way for Datome
In the win over Puerto Rico, Stefano Tonut had a lot of success. He did this mostly by gliding to the baseline, getting open, and making a quick lay-up. The USA were expected to be wise to such a simple move but there he was again, wash, rinse, and repeat.

The famed USA second unit took the floor in the middle of the quarter. Austin Reaves has been the man adored by the locals so far in this tournament but he had looked mortal the last two games. Joining them soon after was Luigi ‘Gigi’ Datome. This tournament is the end of a long and impressive career for Datome. He has never managed a medal in an Italy jersey since underage level. This was, obviously, his last shot.

Waiting for Fontecchio

Simone Fontecchio is the clear star of this Italy side. Unfortunately, he has a tendency to take his time to get cooking in a national team jersey. This was ill-advised here as, while he tends to come good late, the early part of this game felt important.

Back to back threes by Brandon Ingram and Austin Reaves hurt Italy. Reaves, naturally, got the biggest cheer of the night. It turns out that playing for the LA Lakers is enough to be exalted above all others in the Philippines. Finally Fontecchio responded out of a timeout but that US second unit has earned its reputation for a reason.

Lacking a threat

The USA probably got the most favourable draw, in terms of style, of any of the 2023 FIBA World Cup quarter finalists. The big issue for the Americans has been lacking a FIBA style 5. The problem is that Italy don’t have one either. The closest they could do was use Fontecchio to bang, not his strength, or rely on Niccolo Melli. While Melli is a fine player, he’s not a Jonas Valanciunas or Nikola Vucevic style pain machine.

With the USA already up by 10 after the first quarter, and with 9 men getting good minutes, it looked ominous. Italy’s utter lack of efficiency didn’t help. It’s been an issue for them the entire tournament but missing more than three quarters of their shots in the first half was never going to help.

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Jalen Brunson is a menace

It’s hard to stand out on a team with so many players who can go full iso mode. Jalen Brunson proved he could with about as dominant a display as anyone could have with 7 points on 2 of 5 shooting. Every time he drove in the paint, it had the Italians in disarray.

In truth, the Italians were their own worst enemies. They played right into the USA’s hands, allowing the Americans to lean into their length and athleticism. By the half, this was a glorified practice. The USA were well on top but all is far from well.

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Nothing learned

For all of its dominance in this game, it still looks like the USA haven’t adapted. Italy was a tailor-made opponent, particularly for their bounce-back game. The efficiency issues remain and the team still relies far too much on transition play.

Next up it’s either Germany or Latvia. If it’s Latvia, for all of their pluck in this competition, the Americans should be dealing with a similar style to what they faced here. If it’s Germany, then things will get interesting fast. The Germans have the type of interior presence that has caused headaches for the Americans. They also have depth and will certainly prove capable of being more efficient from the field than Italy. In short, it’s the type of game where the USA will need to adapt fast or else they’ll be playing for bronze.

Other notes

The attendance, or rather where it was, for Italy vs USA was telling. The prices of tickets for the 2023 FIBA World Cup have rather ignored the average wage in the Philippines of around €750 a month, never mind the median which is half of that. The more affordable seats were almost sold out, the rest of the arena was largely empty.

It’s also not quite farewell to Gigi Datome but it might as well be. He still has the two games in the 5th to 8th place playoffs left. With the automatic places in the Olympics out of reach, they will just be send-offs for him. I’ll write about him in more detail in the days to come but, for now, Ciao Gigi.

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This post was published on September 5, 2023