FILE–Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers and his teammates on the bench observe his 3-point shot try in opposition to the Brooklyn Nets within the first quarter of their preseason recreation at T-Cellular Area on October 09, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Photos/AFP
Austin Reaves intends to spend this season competing for a championship. And that’s why he thought it made excellent sense to spend his offseason competing for one as effectively.
For about 50 NBA gamers — together with 12 from the U.S. — this was not an atypical summer time stuffed with exercises and holidays. The Basketball World Cup was held within the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia in August and September, and for many who have been there enjoying for his or her nation it may function a critical springboard into this NBA season.
Between coaching camps, exhibition video games and the match itself, the World Cup gamers obtained to play extremely aggressive basketball for six weeks or extra. And that kind of preparation has apparent advantages, Reaves mentioned.
“I’ve been capable of study lots from a whole lot of actually good gamers, a whole lot of actually good coaches that principally simply see that I belong,” mentioned Reaves, the sharpshooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. “Clearly, there’s issues to work on, however I believe I can hit the bottom working from the beginning of the yr … and assault the NBA season.”
From a outcomes standpoint, the summer time didn’t go as deliberate for the People. The U.S. completed fourth within the World Cup, ok of a end to qualify for subsequent summer time’s Paris Olympics however clearly not ok to return house with a medal. Germany gained gold, Serbia (with Bogdan Bogdanovic main the way in which) silver and Canada (paced by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk and RJ Barrett) beat the People for bronze.
Which means an entire lot of gamers returned to their NBA groups with a serious sense of accomplishment from the summer time — actually totally different than what would have been the case had the summer time been about simply enjoying 1-on-0 or in 5-on-5 exercises with guys from an area gymnasium.
FILE– Franz Wagner #22 of the Orlando Magic dribbles in opposition to the Chicago Bulls through the first half at United Middle on February 13, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Michael Reaves/Getty Photos/AFP
“I undoubtedly realized lots and what I realized, I wish to deliver to this,” mentioned Orlando ahead Franz Wagner — who helped lead Germany to the gold medal, by far the nation’s greatest workforce basketball accomplishment but. “On the finish of the day, that is basketball. We’re attempting to construct a successful tradition. Being a part of that workforce, there are particular issues that I realized from them that we are able to apply to our group.”
Wagner and brother (and Magic teammate) Moritz Wagner performed for Germany, which beat the U.S. within the semifinals — a workforce that simply occurred to have Magic ahead Paolo Banchero on its roster.
Banchero in all probability may do with out the ribbing that the Wagners can throw his manner as a result of they gained gold this summer time. However the reigning NBA rookie of the yr was thrilled by one a part of what he noticed from Germany on the World Cup — a penchant by Franz Wagner for taking up video games on the greatest instances.
“He was a star. He took that joint over. Greatest participant on the ground, each recreation he performed in,” Banchero mentioned. “For him, simply bringing that very same perspective right here, you wish to see Franz be aggressive. Not many guys can cease him. Him taking that mentality of being the most effective participant on the ground, I’d like to see him deliver that mentality to our workforce.”
Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, one other participant for the U.S. this summer time, mentioned he went into his first World Cup realizing it could make him higher.
He was proper. He simply didn’t totally perceive how a lot he’d study till he truly went by the summer time, and left Manila final month utterly satisfied that he was as ready as might be for what awaits this summer time with the Pacers.
FILE–Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers in opposition to the Los Angeles Lakers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 02, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Andy Lyons/Getty Photos/AFP
“You must get higher simply being a part of that day-after-day with all the opposite nice gamers, nice coaches, seeing how their minds work and issues like that,” Haliburton mentioned. “I’ll simply take these experiences, clearly the losses and the wins and all the nice and the unhealthy and simply use all of it all through the season.”
There’s a precedent for gamers utilizing the summer time as a launching pad into the NBA season. Living proof: Derrick Rose, who began for the U.S. workforce that gained gold on the 2010 world championships (the match now referred to as the World Cup) and have become the NBA MVP the next season. He did that beneath coach Tom Thibodeau in Chicago; Thibodeau now coaches in New York, and the Knicks have Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart coming off World Cup runs this summer time.
“This expertise,” Brunson mentioned this summer time, “has made me higher.”
The advantages aren’t simply there for gamers.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra — a USA Basketball assistant beneath Golden State’s Steve Kerr this summer time — mentioned spending almost two months in a basketball thinktank made him sharper as effectively and referred to as the “skilled progress alternatives … unparalleled.”
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“You’re already in that mode of placing collectively observe plans, placing collectively big-picture six-week plans, going by a coaching camp and determining what’s the easiest way to fast-track that brief time period,” Spoelstra mentioned. “However the different half is equally as precious and impactful. The skilled progress improvement, being round nice basketball minds, nice gamers and actually proficient individuals within the USA program, Sean Ford and Grant Hill simply to call a pair, that’s every little thing that I needed at this level in my profession.”
