Kelsey Plum isn’t just playing in Unrivaled; she’s also using it as a training space for Team USA. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and scoring machine, who has averaged 22.6 points in her last five games, has found the perfect place to work on her skills before international competition gets serious.

The 3×3 circuit gives Plum a chance to compete at a high level without the usual stress, which lets her try out new strategies and get ready for the physicality of playing basketball around the world.

Plum explained her two-pronged approach to the tournament during a recent talk with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston.

“The biggest thing I wanted to work on with Unrivaled—two things,” she explained.

“One is just the high paint game. There’s no mystery: people guard me at the arc, and they guard me at the rim. So just having that high paint game, and really, I work on it all the time, but it’s different to work on it in a game and just have the level of—you know what?—I’m not going to be results-based. I’m just going to be super intentional about getting in there and either getting a floater or a mid-range off.”

Plum’s focus on the mid-range is a sign of planned growth.

She has averaged 22.6 points over her last five games, with her best performance being 38 points on 16-22 shooting on January 10. She is getting better at playing inside, which is important for international competition.

FIBA tournaments make driving lanes much smaller, so guards have to work from the middle of the court. Plum uses Unrivaled’s physical speed as a training tool to help Team USA get ready for the World Cup, which starts on March 11 in Puerto Rico.

Coach Kara Lawson started Team USA camp by showing them footage of the gold medal game to show how different the rules are for international and domestic basketball. In FIBA competition, physical plays that would get you a foul in the US don’t get you one.

“The physicality of Unrivaled reminds me a lot of FIBA in terms of how physical it is,” Plum observed. “The space obviously—the game is different—but the physicality piece of like the off-ball—everything goes.”

Plum’s competent use of Unrivaled shows that veterans know that developmental opportunities go beyond traditional structures. Team USA qualified for the World Cup by winning its fifth straight AmeriCup gold medal. The March qualifiers are more like tests for LA28 than elimination rounds.

Kelsey Plum and Aliyah Boston bring the heat to Unrivaled

But Plum isn’t the only one training in Unrivaled.

Aliyah Boston, one of the league’s most powerful players, is on the same court as her. Boston is already one of the best players in the world at only 24. This season, she was named to three All-Star teams, the All-WNBA Second Team, and the All-Defensive Second Team. These awards show that she is no longer a young prospect; she is now one of the best big players in basketball.

A’ja Wilson is the only name that always stands out in a frontcourt full of talent.

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Wilson has won three championships, two Finals MVPs, four regular-season MVPs, and three Defensive Player of the Year awards since 2022. She is the one who sets the standard.

Being compared to Wilson is the best thing a young center can hear. Plum did the same thing when she sat down with her Unrivaled teammate on the Post Moves podcast.

“Obviously, I had a ton of respect playing against you,” Plum mentioned. “I know how good you are offensively, and I don’t think you get enough credit defensively for how good you are.”

Plum went on to talk about what it’s really like to play with Boston: “But then being your teammate and just watching you gobble people up in the paint on both sides…It reminds me in a lot of ways of A’ja. You don’t really have to worry about anything. You just kind of like throw it in the vicinity, and they’re gonna get it.”

They are simple words, but they show the real value. Boston changes everyone around her on the court. Plum says that training with this level of talent in Unrivaled isn’t just about the numbers; it’s also about learning from the best and getting ready for what’s next.