Head coach Steve Kerr said Team USA overlooked Andreas Obst in the FIBA Basketball World Cup semifinal vs. Germany.
Almost two months have passed since the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, but Team USA head coach Steve Kerr still has a memory of the Germany national team's sharpshooter Andreas Obst.
Andreas Obst
| Team: |
FC Bayern Munich |
| Position: | SG |
| Age: | 27 |
| Height: | 191 cm |
| Weight: | 91 kg |
| Birth place: | Halle, Germany |
Obst torched Team USA in the FIBA World Cup semifinal, scoring 24 points (2/3 2PT, 4/8 3PT, 8/9 FT) in a 113-111 win.
Speaking with Joe Vardon from The Athletic, Kerr admitted that Team USA underestimated FC Bayern Munich guard.
"We had plenty of depth; we had enough to win," Kerr said. "I think if we had boxed out on the first play of the game [against Germany] and the shooter [Obst] doesn't get the wide-open 3, and the door doesn't open up for him, he doesn't have the game of his life."
"We did not account for Obst. I was Obst as a player. If I could get a free look at a 3 on the first play of the game, the floodgates would open.
But if I couldn't get that look and was being suffocated the whole game, I couldn't get my shot off. When I look back … I think about detail. We weren't locked in enough defensively to win the game," Kerr continued.
The 58-year-old also revealed there were things he could have done better during the FIBA Basketball World Cup run.
"It's obviously strategic stuff, but I think the rest of the staff would say the same thing – we can do better," Kerr said.
