Wilson, Stewart Combine for 46, Rout Japan in First Group C Contest » Winsidr

The most dominant basketball team on Earth was back in action on Monday afternoon, with Team USA basketball tipping off against Team Japan for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Their first bout of Group C action went as well as they could have expected, dominating Japan with their size & electric guard play from Chelsea Gray and finishing up with a final score of 102-76. 

This contest was a perfect encapsulation of what makes this specific team so special – with Gray at the helm capable of recording double-digit assists with ease, and with a front court of A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart able to finish against almost any defender in the post, it seems this squad is destined to go the distance this summer. For now, we can say with certainty that they are already priming themselves to dominate Group C, a set of teams featuring Japan, Germany, and Belgium. 

Box Score at a Glance

The biggest takeaway from this contest for Team USA may have been them trusting in their ability to score without their three ball. While it would have been nice to see that going for them earlier in the game when they had plenty of open looks – which, they only converted 20 percent of – they still controlled the paint thanks to Wilson (24 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks, four assists) and Stewart (22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks) trusting Gray (13 assists) to find them cutting to the rim. 

Another notable box score stat was that all of Team USA scored at least once. This is a really interesting development as head coach Cheryl Reeve seemed to be leaning towards shortening this rotation during friendlies earlier in the month, which meant Jackie Young was seeing less minutes on the floor. But, Young was solid in her limited action with seven points, a board, a steal, a block, and an assist. 

The rest of Team USA’s bench – specifically Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, and Kelsey Plum – looked astounding in relief of Gray, Napheesa Collier, and Diana Taurasi. Griner was especially effective all game long on the boards, grabbing rebounds several times with just one hand and finishing over three or four defenders at times. 

Gray Goggles

Gray might not have scored much in this game, but she created 13 shots for Team USA. That accounts for 38 percent of the team’s assists in this contest. Gray has been ramping back up from injury that kept her sidelined at the beginning of the season, but this outing from her may be a sign of good things to come for this team as they are still looking to form some chemistry with one another in the open floor. 

What stood out the most from Gray was her connection with Stewart. It is a given that she and Wilson would have impeccable chemistry headed into these Olympic games, but it seems that Gray is just using the same or a similar playbook with Stewart that she does with Wilson – finding her as she cuts and using screens to free Stewart up in the post. 

More Dominance From A’ja Wilson

It feels like no one in basketball is doing it like Wilson right now. Her touch in this contest was no different than her touch this season – feathery, accurate, and an almost guarantee to land a bucket in the low or high post. 

Her 10-16 shooting from the field simply does not do her shot selection in this game justice. Every single decision she made with the ball in her hands was the right one, and it led to an easy double double. Wilson and Stewart together in the frontcourt is already nightmarish for any opposing country, but to couple her with Griner fairly seamlessly by having them switch between low and high post touches depending on who is getting double or triple teamed in the paint is poetry in motion. 

Of course, not every team will be as small as Japan. But, it is hard to see how teams can contend with Wilson’s size and rebounding capabilities while also focusing on boxing out Stewart or Griner. 

Another facet of Wilson’s game that Team USA will look to keep exploiting is her chemistry with Gray. We know about Gray’s passing making everyone around her a better scorer. Gray is also the most innately familiar with how Wilson moves on the court. So, couple her vision with Wilson’s shooting and finishing, and you have one of the most lethal duos to contend with in Gray and Wilson. 

Next up: Belgium 

Team USA will have two days to rest before taking on Belgium on Thursday at 3pm EST. Belgium is coming off an 83-69 loss to Germany as they also struggled to develop a shot from three point range and to contain a strong German offense featuring sharp shooting from Leonie Fiebich and a combined 33 points from sisters Satou and Nyara Sabally. 

Emma Meeseman – the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP – and Washington Mystics guard Julie Vanloo headline Belgium’s national team as they look to get back to .500 in group play versus a stacked USA team.