TOKYO — The globalization of basketball has been well documented for decades. International tournaments are more competitive than ever. Elite talent sprouts up everywhere. Players from some national teams train together for half their lives, establishing a yearslong harmony that expresses itself on the court.
To begin wrapping your head around the United States’ tremulous start in the Olympic competition, then, consider that some players on the team were so unprepared for this tournament — because of health protocols and the N.B.A. playoff schedule — that they could barely get a grip. On the ball, that is.
Although the same size as the N.