Keys to U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Gold

Team USA is just one win away from another Olympic gold medal.

After a thrilling 95-91 victory over Serbia, the final challenge for Team USA is France, led by Victor Wembanyama. The game will take place on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

To secure the gold, here are three important strategies Team USA should focus on:

Key Strategies for Victory:

First, they need to clog the paint. France isn’t great at shooting threes, hitting only 33.3% as a team. Their top scorers like Guerschon Yabusele and Isaia Cordinier rely heavily on driving to the basket. Yabusele scores 12.8 points per game with a 55% field goal percentage, while Cordinier adds 10.6 points per game with a 54.3% success rate.

To counter this, Steve Kerr should use two big men like Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, or Anthony Davis together when Yabusele and Cordinier are playing . This would make it hard for France to drive to the basket and force them into taking more difficult shots from outside.

Next up is involving Wembanyama defensively in offensive plays. Although it may seem odd to engage their best defender in offense, it’s crucial for neutralizing his impact as France’s primary rim protector since Rudy Gobert has been playing limited minutes recently (only nine minutes in the last two games). By drawing Wembanyama out to the perimeter and using pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop sets involving his man, Team USA can open up easier scoring opportunities inside.

Fans might think that if Team USA can execute these plans well enough, victory should be within reach.

Finally, it’s essential for Team USA to stay focused from the start of the game. Even though France needs to play perfectly to beat them—and that still might not be enough—Team USA’s biggest challenge is maintaining high effort levels right from tip-off.

“I’m really humbled to have been a part of this game,” said Kerr after beating Serbia (per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com). “It’s one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of.”

To avoid another close call like their match against Serbia and overcome France’s homecourt advantage, staying poised early on is key .

Do you think these strategies will help Team USA win gold?