USA Basketball: 3 Takeaways From Win Against Argentina

DeAndre Jordan and DeMarcus Cousins will be a nightmare of a duo.

If Team USA has had any weaknesses in the past, it’s been a lack of star power and depth at the center position.

Look at the last few rosters that the U.S. has thrown out in international play and you’ll see bigs like Kenneth Faried, Mason Plumlee, Tyson Chandler, a 19-year-old Anthony Davis and Carlos Boozer.

Sure, they’re good players but the bigs have paled in comparison to the other positions. In the past, it’s been noticeably a weak spot against Spain’s big men Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, and Serge Ibaka in prior competitions.

That weakness is now gone and the combination of Cousins and Jordan should terrify other teams.

Statistically, Cousins dominated Argentina with his bruising game and tenacity chasing rebounds on his way to 14 points and 15 rebounds in 16 minutes.

Jordan didn’t put up the stats that Cousins went for, but was dominant in his own way. Jordan protected the rim and forced Argentina to stay out of the paint and take contested jumpers instead.

It almost didn’t seem fair to unleash the hyper-athletic Jordan against the Argentinians.

Cousins and Jordan controlled the paint and provided a presence down low on both ends and on the boards.

If the combination of centers can continue to play at that level, and we have no reason to think that they won’t, it’s hard imagining any team staying competitive with them.

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