Team USA’s Paris Olympics run was one of ups and downs. However, nothing gave the fans a nail-biting action like the gold medal game against France. While A’ja Wilson may have won the Olympic MVP for the year, it was Gabby Williams’ monstrous performance that took the cake. While these were the highlights of the game, there was a major dark zone in the team’s win. That was the lack of offensive power in the team’s backcourt. Something that Gilbert Arenas aptly warned the squad for before the Final Game.

In an episode of the Gil’s Arena, the 3x NBA All-Star clearly stated, “Imma just say, there’s a lot of people that shouldn’t be playing. ‘Cause I don’t know what their offense is but… (getting the ball to A’ja) is literally the offense. Because for the most part, the starters, the other three, who should be playing, they usually have zero (points). I’m pretty sure the three other players besides (A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart) I’m pretty sure they are not averaging more than five.”

According to him, the rest of the starters, which included Chelsea Gray, Diana Taurasi, and Napheesa Collier before the knockout rounds, were not even looking at the basket. He just had one more question to ask those players, “What are you doing in the game if you’re not going to help out?”

In the knockout rounds, Cheryl Reeve did change the lineup a little by exchanging Jackie Young for Diana Taurasi. Indeed, the Las Vegas Aces star not only brings her killer offense to the game but is also a fast-paced player with good defense. Still, let us compare how the remaining three starters and the bench performed in the Olympics.

Numbers in view: A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart vs the rest of the Team USA

Looking at the overall wins, we can still be proud of winning every game with at least 16 points per game. It is already a better differentiator of Team USA from the rest. However, digging deeper, we can see why the 4x Olympic gold medalist Sheryl Swoopes mentioned their 1996 team could have won by more than 14 points over Nigeria. In that game, Team USA let go of a 28-point lead before closing the matchup with 74-88. Major issues were the team’s lack of defensive strategies and over-dependence on A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

In the group stage, the three starters — Chelsea Gray, Napheesa Collier, and Diana Taurasi — only added 23 points total over the three matchups. The wins heavily came from the work in the paint by Wilson and Stewart who brought 122 points then. Contrastingly, even the bench did better than Gray, Collier, and Taurasi as they added 131 points in the limited playing time.

In the knockout rounds, Young became a starter, and the outcome improved. Young, Collier, and Gray combined for 58 points over their final three wins. The bench still added 94 points. Contrastingly, Wilson and Stewart again took the crowns with 88 points combined. However, we did win the gold medal, and the dynasty continues to build over its 61-game winning streak in the Olympics.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.