The results of the recent FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 provided us so many lessons – not just in glitzy individual highlight moves – but more importantly, on the concepts of teamwork, team chemistry and more. In fact, Germany’s ascension as world champions, and the relegation of Team USA to 4th place has provided us more insights on contemporary basketball, and what to expect in the years ahead.
One thing is clear: the game has developed internationally over the last few decades. Despite the NBA’s abundance in talent, that talent is now spread out globally; with no less than the last 5 NBA regular season MVPs coming from Europe (Giannis Antetokounmpo, MVP 2019/2020 from Greece; Nikola Jokic MVP 2021/2022 from Serbia; and Joel Embiid, MVP 2023 from France).
And with only 5 players on the court at any given time, it is no longer enough for a team such as Team USA to have an all-NBA roster to win the crown. With more and more foreign players joining the NBA, there is no more fear nor awe as was the case when Michael Jordan and the Dream Team demolished all its opposition in 1992. In fact, it has become more of a challenge and inspiration for non-American teams to pit their skills against the NBA stars.
Today, all a team needs is a solid five which may not necessarily be all-NBA, but with more time together for better cohesion and better defense, and you’ve got a very competitive team. This time, what the FIBA World Cup has conveyed to us is that team chemistry and good old teamwork will always trump individual talent.
Consider Germany’s starting 5. Germany’s first team was composed of 4 NBA players (Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis, Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner, none of whom made it to the All-Stars) plus 1 local player (Andreas Obst) playing for Bayern Munich in Germany. But what they did not have in individual athleticism and skill, they made up with cohesion, discipline and an air-tight defense.
Compare that with Team USA’s all-NBA roster with 4 All-Stars (Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram, Tyrese Halliburton and Jaren Jackson Jr). One look at this loaded roster and most everyone will say that this team should have won the crown hands down. Unfortunately, this has been proven wrong. Team USA’s national program doesn’t provide for longevity, giving the team members very little time to jell and know more about the FIBA game. Talent they may have had a-plenty; but what they lacked acutely was teamwork.
And this showed ever so painfully on the defensive end, where they allowed Lithuania 110 points in the 2nd round, Germany 113 points in the semis, and Canada 127 points in overtime in the battle for bronze, in 3 of their last 4 games.
On the other end of the World Cup semis, we saw another European team, Serbia, outclass an equally NBA-heavy team in Canada. Canada fielded 7 NBA players led by their wily All-Star point guard, Shai Gilgeous Alexander; while Serbia only had 3, none of whom had any All-star experience at all. (Although they would have had the biggest star of all if Nikola Jokic had decided to play. )
Despite the Serbians’ lack of name-players, they also outplayed the Canadians, paving the way for an all-Euro Finals. Again, the Serbians used a pesky defense which provided help the moment a mismatch was identified. They used an all-hands-on-deck boxing-out system to deny the Canadians any rebounding space. And they demonstrated a patient, well-disciplined, well-balanced inside-and-out offense to wear down the Canadian defense.
All told, what is my main take away from all these?
The recenty-concluded FIBA World Cup tells us that individual skills do not necessarily ensure success in the global cage environment. The twin wins of Germany and Serbia in the World Cup semis despite the lack of star quality NBA talent emphasized to us that a team of lesser lights can give a team of individual talents a run for their money. And that the basketball tenets of cohesion and sound defense still reigns supreme.
The USA is admittedly the powerhouse in the global basketball community. The NBA is hands-down the premier basketball league in the world, where the best basketball players dream of playing. But the preponderance of hero-ball, the emphasis on individual skills, and the lack of priority for the defense are bad habits that the NBA has ingrained in our younger generation of players.
Our recent success in the Asian Games, stunning to say the least, was due to many factors, luck included. But among others, Coach Tim Cone was able to bring in a more organized basic system of play. The players all strove for team cohesion (unlike the previous iteration where clear-the-way-for-Clarkson seemed to be the go-to play). And there was a lot more forceful bite on the defensive end.
For the Philippines to retain basketball superiority in Asia; for it to hit it even bigger in the international cage scene; then we should seriously consider the European model of basketball for the country.
The Philippines has grown so fond of the NBA style of play that we try to emulate their stars’ every move. But what we refuse to come to terms with is the fact that we simply do not have the height and heft that American players are gifted with. Hence, it is impossible to reach the same goals that NBA players have set for themselves.
But this does not mean that we cannot succeed in the game. What would truly work for us is an acceptance of our strengths and weaknesses, and a more realistic view of what lies ahead for us.
Recently, our experience in the FIBA U16 (Under 16) Asian Championship in Qatar highlighted the harsh reality of our lack of ceiling and bulk. The Philippines reached the semis, before bowing out big-time to the behemoths of Australia 92-36. The lopsided score clearly showed how a cohesive team with height and heft can toy with a smaller team, no matter how cage-savvy they may be. Our Gilas Juniors took a credible 4th spot behind eventual champs Australia, runner-up New Zealand and 3rd placer China, all endowed with the big bodies and the athleticism, on top of their sound basketball fundamentals. These next-gen games forecast for us the result of future battles ahead in regional and global cage competitions.
So, to our basketball aficionados, coaches and trainers, let’s consider watching and emulating the European style of basketball. Let’s diminish the influence of the NBA’s glitz and glam game. Let’s inculcate in our young cagers the values of teamwork, not individual hero-ball. Let’s teach them to play proper defense, and not rely on their offensive skills alone. Let’s take a serious look at cohesion, and not rely on pure athletic ability alone. Basketball is not a game of individual talents alone. Great basketball minds will say that a solid five will always trump a group of individual talents. And we saw plenty of that in the last FIBA World Cup.
In fact, I would venture to add that instead of getting PBA imports from America, we should try to get them from the likes of Serbia and the other European countries. Instead of going for American coaching training, we should learn more about the Euro brand.
Transition to Euro-ball. Watch the Euro League play. Play team defense. Help defense. Think team. That is the only way we can compete in the much bigger, bulkier, badder international basketball community.
Color My World 