Just 2 teams stand in the way between Team USA and their historic quest for an 8th consecutive gold. Entering the semi-finals stage yet again after winning every game by double digits, A’ja Wilson and Co. have proven why they are the most dominant force in women’s basketball at the moment. Still, according to some, there are a few concerns mongering around how the unit executes its strategies. One of the glaring ones is their overreliance on the dream duo of A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

The latest episode of Gil’s Arena featuring Rashad McCants, Sheryl Swoopes & Lexie Brown, went on air recently. Talking about a range of topics, a segment included the evaluation of roles that certain players have on the roster. Expressing her thoughts about what she’s noticing in Team USA regarding this, Sheryl Swoopes said, “Three players are out there who aren’t even looking to shoot. I don’t know this for a fact, but it’s probably because they’ve been told ‘Get the ball to A’ja and get the ball to Stewie. Even if I’m wide open, I am not going to shoot this.'”

And such has been the case if we take a closer look at the stats. In the 4 games so far, only A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are averaging double digits in terms of scoring. Wilson is currently scoring 20.3 points per contest while being 61.8% efficient from the field. Similarly, the 2023 WNBA MVP Stewart is averaging 18.5 points per contest.

Next to these two is the Minnesota Lynx power forward Napheesa Collier, the other starter in the team, contributing with just 6.3 points per game. Further, witnessing such a pattern, even UConn star Paige Bueckers had commented about it earlier. She expressed, “The A’ja & Stewie frontcourt is unfair.”

As it turns out, both A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart have had a huge impact on Team USA’s campaign so far.

 A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart doing the heavy lifting

So far, Team USA has scored a total of 364 points on the hardwood at the Paris Olympics. Out of those, 155 points (42.58%) are credited to A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. In addition to this, more than 1/3rd of the team’s total rebounds are grabbed by these two WNBA rivals.

The same case in field goals as the duo account for 64 of the total 140 field goals. Also, 52.5% of the points scored from the 2-point range are from Wilson and Stewart. While the end goal is a Gold, this internal battle for the MVP crown between Wilson and Stewart is intriguing as well.

Some enticing and thrilling days ahead of Team USA. The team would require A’ja Wilson to be at her very best to go all the way this Olympics as well. The fans would hope they can address whatever on-court concerns they have before that.

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