In the 2019 Men's Basketball World Cup, Kobe Bryant once said, "The United States team, don't think you're stable."

Four years later, the young and talented American men's basketball team suffered a heavy blow from the traditional powerhouse Lithuania. Under the opponent's magical three-point projection, the United States lost the game. Not only this game, but this World Cup reflects a problem for the US team: their selection strategy is very problematic, especially in the interior.

The domestic level in the United States is showing a downward trend

There are too many excellent insiders born in American basketball, and discussions can't be finished day and night. In the past 10 years, the quality of the interior of American basketball has shown a decline. In addition to a decline in strength, the American men's basketball team is also becoming more and more focused on the outside. Due to the prevalence of small ball play, the NBA has increasingly high requirements for the speed of inner line movement and shooting ability. So, currently, many NBA insiders are lightweight. Once encountering a European giant like Teacher Yue, the consequences can be imagined.

The mechanism of NBA and World Cup matches is different, and the importance of the inner line of the World Cup is infinitely magnified. The United States sent in the inside lineup for this World Cup are Jackson Jr., Portis, and Kessler. Compared to Europe, which is a group of tall and hard insiders, their problems are highlighted.

In the game lost to Lithuania, the US men's basketball team only grabbed 27 rebounds throughout the game, while the opponent's rebounds were as high as 44. There is a huge gap between two teams in offensive rebounding. Lithuania has grabbed a total of 19 offensive rebounds, which is 9 more than the US men's basketball team. A double difference in frontcourt rebounds can create twice as many offensive opportunities.

The last game of the US men's basketball team was not without effort, and the outside shooting was also very accurate. But under the dual suppression of Lithuania's three pointers and internal attacks, the US men's basketball team ultimately lost the game.

The Dilemma of Small Ball Inside Line

The current starting center for the US men's basketball team is Michael Jackson, who is the NBA's best defensive player of the year. He is a very modern center player who can shoot three pointers on the offensive end. He plays like a fish in water in the NBA. At the international arena, Little Jackson felt like he had changed and couldn't find the rhythm at all.

In the game he lost to Lithuania, he only scored 3 points and grabbed 1 rebound in the entire game. In the previous game against Black Mountain, although he scored 11 points, he did not grab a rebound. Coincidentally, he faced traditional European forwards in both of these games, with Lithuania having Varan and Montenegro having Vuchevic.

If Jackson faced these two players in the NBA, he would definitely have the upper hand, but in the World Cup, due to different game mechanisms, he would have been at a disadvantage.

Jackson's true height is 2.10 meters, but his weight is less than 110 kilograms. Moreover, when Jackson entered the NBA, he started as a power forward and was accustomed to defensive positioning. He was very good at changing perimeter players, which was his trump card. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become the best defensive player. However, it's not something Jackson is good at, like a center grabbing rebounds and hitting the opponent's blocks hard.

Jackson's average career rebounds are less than 6, which is even worse than some NBA guards.

The other two also have their own problems in the interior, and Portis is a power forward who mainly focuses on shooting. His height is only 2.08 meters, and if he were to defend a center like Wuchevic on the international stage, he would definitely be devoured alive.