During the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Team USA was represented by a 12-man roster full of young, up-and-coming stars. There was no LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant. Instead, the team consisted of Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, and James Harden to name a few. Even with the young, inexperienced bunch, Team USA still went home with the gold medal and in just 16 days, a few players stood out a lot and one did not.

THE GOOD:

Kenneth Faried – The Manimal as they call him, Kenneth Faried was the most consistent player for Team USA. With his endless energy and hustle, USA was able to dominate the rebounding category over other teams and was able to convert on second chance points. Faried showcased his athleticism, ability to run the floor, play defense, and his passion for the game. And to think, he was one of the few who were overlooked back when USA was making a decision on its 12-man roster. He certainly exceeded all expectations and earned the trust of Coach Mike Krzyzewski. As Faried shifts his focus back to the NBA, he could very well have an outstanding season as he has gained some valuable experience and has flourished under head coach Brian Shaw.

DeMarcus Cousins – The big man definitely paid his due for Team USA. When Anthony Davis was in foul trouble in USA’s final game, Cousins stepped in and played a major role during Sunday’s gold medal clinching game. Cousins supplied Team USA with much needed size, physicality, and interior defense. In the NBA, he has been gradually improving and is becoming a double-double machine. Playing for USA and becoming a gold medalist while being coached by Mike Krzyzewski will positively help Cousins in the NBA. He is slowly maturing, and his maturity will be the key to his future success with the Sacramento Kings. Nevertheless, he proved to be the most important piece to the puzzle for Team USA and surely his play with the team will be a confidence booster.

Kyrie Irving – The 2014 FIBA World Cup MVP was the one who sealed the gold medal game for USA early in the first half with his incredible three-point shooting. Irving earned the starting position over Derrick Rose, and he soon proved his worth to the team. His ball handling, play making, and efficient scoring was a tremendous boost for USA. Now, Irving will head back to the states and return to Cleveland, where this season he will not have much pressure on him, just like with Team USA. Irving will absolutely play more freely for the Cavaliers and will excel much better. As an added bonus, he will take home all the knowledge he learned being around other stars during the FIBA tournaments.

Anthony Davis – He is only 21 years of age and already has two gold medals under his belt. Davis saw himself grow as a leader with Team USA this time around. The first time he played for his country, he was a 19-year old kid who had yet to play a game in the NBA. This time, he was coming off a marvelous season with the New Orleans Pelicans. For Team USA, he added a defensive punch with his excellent shot blocking and helped Kenneth Faried clean up the boards on both ends of the floor. Davis was a 20 and 10 guy with a 2.8 block average last season in the NBA. It is only going to get better for the 2-year pro. Last season, he added a mid-range jumper to his arsenal, and this season he should become a worthier leader for his team. With added knowledge and experience going into the season, Davis could very easily become a top 10 player in the NBA next season, if not better.

THE BAD:

Derrick Rose – NBA’s 2011 MVP was atrocious during the 2014 FIBA World Cup tournaments. He averaged 4.8 points per game on 25.4 percent shooting. It is not all Rose’s fault. The young star returned from two serious knee injuries, and this was the first time in months he played in actual 5-on-5 games. On a positive note, Rose looked good physically. He was moving pretty well and running the floor with the same speed as before. However, there is plenty of rust he needs to shake off before the start of the NBA season. Rose scored in double figures only 2 out of the 9 FIBA games, but he will also get the chance to find his stride during the NBA pre-season. We saw a couple of flashes of the old D. Rose during the FIBA tournament, but he was not himself for the most part. Rose was able to get to the rim, but he was unable to finish like before and was a bit sloppy at times. Let us now see how Rose will carry over to the NBA with the season approaching quickly. So far, it seems like he is going to need much more time to return to form as he did not impress with his play for Team USA.

Many of the NBA players who partook in the FIBA World Cup this year could very well have a breakout season. Young guys like Andre Drummond, Mason Plumlee, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, and Kenneth Faried could have huge individual seasons. Backtracking to the 2010 FIBA World Cup, some of the players on that USA squad followed up with an amazing NBA season, most notably Lamar Odom and Tyson Chandler. Odom won the Sixth Man of the Year award, and Tyson Chandler helped the Dallas Mavericks win their first NBA title by serving as a defensive anchor during the 2010-2011 NBA season.  

Representing their country and bringing home the gold medal is an enormous accomplishment for these young studs. Now, it is time to saddle up and get ready for training camp, which begins in two weeks. 

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About the author
Vahan Shakhpazyan
Vahan Shakhpazyan loves the NBA with a passion and has been an avid follower for 18 years. He is a UCR graduate with a BA degree in Creative Writing. The man behind the Facebook page NBA updates.