Recapping Myles Turner’s performance for Team USA vs Japan
Team USA ended their Group E matchups with a perfect 3-0 record as the result of their 98-45 win over Japan.
Myles played for around 19 minutes and recorded 3 points (33.3% FG, 0% 3P, 50% FT), 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and 1 turnover. His defensive impact played a key role in Team USA gaining a substantial enough of a lead early in the game to make the outcome clear.
Japan tried to neutralize Myles’ interior defensive impact by forcing him to have to close out on jump shots. That proved to not make much difference in the first half as he was making an impact by contesting jump shots and finishes at the rim.
Team USA decided to switch to a 2-3 zone scheme in the second half. Myles split time between different roles of the zone and he made an impact regardless of his role. They found great success using a zone defense and it will be interesting to see if they continue to use it in future games.
Team USA is now in Shenzhen for the Second Round of the FIBA World Cup ahead of their matchup with Greece on Saturday at 8:30 PM EDT. They will be going up against reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in that game.
