Toronto Raptors swingman DeMar DeRozan logged nearly 14 minutes against Serbia, finishing with 10 points, a rebound, an assist and a steal. He shot 3-for-4 from the floor and made his only three-point field goal attempt.
Over nine games with USA, DeRozan scored 4.8 points in 11.8 minutes per game, shooting 54 percent from the field. While he mostly saw time after games were locked up for Team USA, learning from the league’s best players and coaches was a huge opportunity for DeRozan and he didn’t take it for granted.
“It feels great,” DeRozan told Ball in Europe’s Emmet Ryan. “To come together with all these great guys, great coaches and win the gold medal representing our country.
“Especially playing at this high level with these great players you can learn so much from. Just to take this same energy, this experience back to my team.”
Together since mid-July minus a 10-day break to spend time with their families, the members of Team USA had plenty of time to share inspiration and bounce ideas off each other.
“It can’t do nothing but help you better your game,” DeRozan said. “It’ll help you as a leader even more. I’m definitely looking forward to this season.”
After two weeks of competition in Spain, Jonas Valanciunas and the Lithuanian national team fell 95-93 to France and just missed out on a bronze medal. Despite the loss and failure to medal, the World Cup was another step for Valanciunas in a busy summer of continued development.
Valanciunas was at his best against France, scoring 25 points to go with nine rebounds in almost 35 minutes. He shot 8-for-12 from the floor, including getting off to an 8-for-10 start, and made nine of his 10 attempts from the line. What is likely to stay with Valanciunas will be the two layups missed with less than two minutes remaining after scoring five points to put Lithuania up five with three minutes to play.
Since Toronto fell to the Brooklyn Nets in a seven-game series in May, Valanciunas has been working to get ready for his third NBA season. In between suiting up for his country in Spain and spending part of his summer home in Lithuania, Valanciunas has worked with his Raptors teammates and coaching staff in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
It was easy to notice a stronger frame on the 22 year-old Raptors big man as he represented Lithuania. He also showed improved footwork and looked quick on his feet in Spain.
Averaging 14.4 points and 8.4 rebounds over the nine games, Valanciunas shot a ridiculous 69.6 percent from the floor, better than anyone else in the tournament. His 8.4 rebounds ranked him sixth in the event.
Perhaps the most impressive part of watching Valanciunas was the confidence he showed playing such a huge role for his national team. With plenty of pressure on him to serve as a leader and one of the best players on the roster, Valanciunas did his best to help his country try to medal. Although it fell just short to France, he’ll return to the Raptors a better player because of it.