"Defensively, last year, we had a very difficult time," Triano admitted. "We sat back and we had a hard time containing."
To turn that around, Triano isn't borrowing a page from the U.S. team's opponents, but from the U.S. team itself.
Kevin Durant was the offensive star at the World Championship, but it was the Americans' aggressive defense that was most responsible for bringing home gold from Istanbul. Triano doesn't have athletic defenders like Andre Iguodala and Russell Westbrook in Toronto, but his team will be faster and more athletic that it was last season.
DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson, three returnees with young legs, will have larger roles. Leandro Barbosa brings speed to the backcourt, while Kleiza brings versatility up front.
"We're going to be a lot more aggressive," Triano said. "With that athleticism, we're going to be able to keep guys in front of us a lot better. And if we can apply some pressure to turn teams over, it's going to create some offense."