USA vs. Czech Republic: Tokyo 2020 Olympics men's basketball preview and pick

The United States men’s basketball team's current roster only has a few games together and now will face the Czech Republic in the third game of pool play as a 24-point favorite.

The U.S. could lose the game and still advance, because of a massive win differential against Iran, but the players should rightfully treat this as a must-win game to keep their gold-medal hopes alive.

U.S. expected to be in control

The obvious expectation is that the Americans’ athleticism will be more than enough to slow down the Czech offense. The hope is the offense matches the output we saw from Team USA in its last match against Iran. In that outing, the American threw in 19 three-pointers, including seven from Damian Lillard, and posted 120 points.

Unlike other European squads, like France and Spain, this Czech Republic does not have much NBA talent. Chicago Bulls point guard Tomas Satoransky is the only NBA player on the team, and the talent disparity with the U.S. will be obvious. After the Americans struggled through a loss to France, Team USA head coach Greg Popovich made adjustments against Iran that will serve the team well moving forward.

U.S. will rely on athleticism and depth

Team USA does not have time to gel and establish the kind of rhythm that is customary for great basketball teams, so it will run elite talent out and try to outpace the competition through superior depth, athleticism, and scoring ability.

Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Lillard are three of the best three-point shooters in the sport and will be potent weapons against the Czech Republic. Any of them can get hot and take over a game.

With a more free and speedy style, Team USA may have found the appropriate recipe for the rest of the games in Japan. Look for the Americans to come out fast, open up shooting opportunities, and out-muscle a Czech Republic team that has no hope to slow down America’s best.

Olympic men's basketball pick: USA -24