FIBA World Cup 2019: 3 Talking Points from USA vs Japan

#3 The Brotherhood is starting to take shape for Team USA

They are taking the criticism personally.

When the mass exodus of players from the USA squad was taking place, one could only imagine the plight of the players who chose to stay and sacrifice for their country. Well, now that this squad of 'leftovers' has won three straight to kickstart their FIBA World Cup campaign, everything else is now just background noise.

Amidst this gruelling process of coming together and, more importantly, staying together through thick and thin, an unlikely camaraderie seems to have sprouted amongst this newly formed group. For what it's worth, the Turkish scare (final result included) brought this squad together and that showed against Japan.

Every play, every pass and every dunk was whole-heartedly cheered by the bench, including Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart who were inactive. There is no ego in this USA team, mainly because they've been scoffed at by nearly everyone. They've got a chip on their shoulder and now seem more united than ever.

I love this team🙏🏽🇺🇸 https://t.co/KaEgqTFGwP

— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) September 3, 2019