Former Suns Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson Helping USA Thrive in World Cup
The United States men's national team has breezed through group stage play of the 2023 FIBA World Cup thus far, already punching a ticket to the knockout stage after only two games.
A lot of this team's success can be attributed to the chemistry they've gathered in a short amount of time, with former Phoenix Suns fan-favorites Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges at the forefront of what Team USA has built.
This rendition of the American national team is very talented, possibly boasting up to ten top-100 players in the world with possibly six top-40 players.
Despite this wealth of talent, there isn't a single player who has made a leap into superstardom on the roster. No Steph Curry. No Damian Lillard. No LeBron James. Neither of the Suns' superstar tandem of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are to be seen this summer, either.
This team thrives off the balance and diversity each player on the roster provides. From starter to bench, every player has scored in game action already and the vast majority of the team gets a similar amount of playing time.
While many in the basketball community have considered Orlando Magic forward Paolo Ranchero and Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves as the standouts for the red, white and blue, though the duo of Bridges/Johnson have both contributed significantly through two games.
Bridges has averaged 19.3 minutes, eight points per game and has shot 70 percent from the floor. Johnson has averaged 15.5 minutes, five points, and has shot 20 percent from the floor. Both have bought into the team-ball focused style on offense as expected and are also playing strong defense in the process as well.
The twins might not be the stars of the show, but both are showing their value to the team in each game and are proving they belong on this team.
Team USA plays again on Wednesday morning in their group stage finale vs. Jordan, which will begin at 1:40 AM Arizona time. You can catch the action on ESPN2.
