Non-Patented, Non-Analytical Selection Strategy:
- Review roster for 2021 Olympic squad
- Review roster from 2023 World Cup team
- Revise and review (my) eligibility requirements for roster spots
- Create list of top international opponents to keep in mind when constructing the roster
- Review my April 2023 picks for the 2024 roster
- Narrow down list based on who is likely to participate
- Finalize team invitation list (including a ‘next up’ list)
2021 Team USA Tokyo Olympics Roster: (gold medal)
Bam Adebayo
Kevin Love
JaVale McGee
Kevin Durant
Jerami Grant
Draymond Green
Keldon Johnson
Khris Middleton
Jayson Tatum
Bradley Beal
Devin Booker
Zach LaVine
Damian Lillard
Jrue Holiday
2023 Team USA World Cup Roster: (4th place finish)
Paolo Banchero
Mikal Bridges
Jalen Brunson
Anthony Edwards
Tyrese Haliburton
Josh Hart
Brandon Ingram
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Cam Johnson
Walker Kessler
Bobby Portis
Austin Reaves
(My) Eligibility Requirements for Team USA roster:
- Combination of size, strength, athleticism, shooting, and positional versatility
- Clutch genes for crunch time heroics (break glass if needed)
- High basketball IQ to be able to thrive with other players in Steve Kerr’s system
- Two-way players only (if possible)
- Healthy mix of battle-tested veterans and up-and-coming stars was what I had hoped for in 2023 in order to pass the torch to the next generation of superstars, but after a disastrous 4th place finish in the World Cup we’ll need to bring our NBA A-Listers to try and ensure gold in Paris.
- NBA championship AND Olympic (gold-medal winning) experience
International opponents to keep in mind when constructing the Team USA roster:
Australia: Josh Giddey, Josh Green, Dyson Daniels/Ben Simmons?!
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Benn Mathurin, RJ Barrett,Dillon Brooks/Andrew Wiggins
Croatia: Bojan Bogdanovic,Dario Saric/Ivica Zubac
France: Rudy Gobert,Victor Wembanyama!, Nic Batum, Evan Fournier, Bilal Coulibaly
Finland: Lauri Markkanen
Germany: Franz and Mo Wagner, Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis
Greece: Giannis Antetekounmpo and the Antetekounmpo 5
Latvia: Kristaps Porzingis/Davis Bertans
Lithuania: Domantis Sabonis, Jonas Valaniunas
Serbia: Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic
Slovenia: Luka Doncic
Turkey: Alperen Sengun, Furkan Korkmaz, Omer Yurtseven
And let’s not forget the rosters for Spain and Argentina!
The roster I had envisioned after going through this exercise back in April 2023…
BIGS*
Bam Adebayo
Brook Lopez
Bigs honorable mention: Jaren Jackson Jr., Jarrett Allen, Myles Turner
*Note: Joel Embiid looked doubtful to commit to Team USA in April 2023 so I made it clear we needed to try hard to convince him, but I wouldn’t pick the roster assuming he’d be a part of it
FORWARDS
Jayson Tatum
Brandon Ingram
Evan Mobley
Jimmy Butler
Mikal Bridges
Forwards honorable mention: Cade Cunningham, Paul George, Kyle Kuzma, Scottie Barnes, and Jalen Williams
GUARDS
Steph Curry
Anthony Edwards
De’Aaron Fox
Devin Booker
Damian Lillard
Guards honorable mention: LaMelo Ball, Darius Garland, Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton
Probably won’t participate, and why:
Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard – both of these two are chronically injured or recovering from injury, yet somehow managing to play a ton of minutes this season in a desperate push for their teams to make deep playoff runs. Will LeBron make AD go? Will Kawhi’s back-alley medical team give the green light?
Jimmy Butler – The Heat typically go on deep playoff runs and Butler has already been battling nagging injuries this year. One thing we know, if he has anything left in the tank, he’ll try to go to Paris and compete, no questions asked.
Ja Morant – recovering from a torn labrum and a disastrous season, Ja will need to recover, rest up, and make sure he’s 100% healthy for the start of next season to get the Grizzlies back on track.
Jrue Holiday – tempting to consider him for the roster after the clinic he put on in Tokyo, but after a long playoff run with the Celtics that extends into June, he’ll most likely want some recovery time.
Damian Lillard – this one is questionable, since we know Lillard never backs down from a challenge. But I opted to put him in this category because of the heavy burden he has to carry this season for the Bucks who have little depth at guard. If the Bucks can make it to the Eastern Conference Finals or Finals, I think it will be a bit too much wear and tear to make the trip (but it may be the Bucks and his agents that have to stop him from trying to go anyway).
Who is interested in playing:
Back in October 2023, LeBron started an uproar amongst American players when he said he was ready to go the Olympics and urged others to join him. This tweet summarized who expressed interest:
But sadly, we can only bring 12 players, and most from this tweet will not make the cut.
2024 Team USA Invites for Paris Olympics:
BIGS
Joel Embiid – HUGE W by Team USA to secure his services over France and Cameroon! He could be the piece that ensure gold for this team based on the timing of these Olympics matching up perfectly with the peak of his dominance.
Bam Adebayo – will be needed to bang with the big bodies, rebound, and provide versatile D. A bit undersized to play some international big guys height-wise, but will make up for it with toughness and effort, as always. A small part of me wanted to give this backup big spot to Chet due to his ability to stretch the floor and protect the rim.
FORWARDS
Jayson Tatum – having had experience in international play plus being at the age where he is entering his prime years, Tatum will give this team whatever they need on or off the ball and defensively. With all this star power, he’ll blend right in, and his size and length will be helpful, as always.
Kevin Durant – getting a bit older but managing to stay healthy. The Suns uneven season may mean he can rest up before the Olympics or it could mean they make a run and he’s pretty burned out. With a roster this stacked, if he can play 15 minutes a game for Team USA, it’s well worth having him there. As a living legend and leader who knows the path to capture gold, he will be invaluable.
Paul George – having a great season and staying healthy so far! If the Clippers manage to make a deep playoff run will he be energized to go to Paris or demoralized and exhausted if they don’t make it out of the West? Time will tell, but if he’s ready to go, then his positional versatility, shot-making, and D would be a huge help to this team.
Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler or Anthony Davis – whoever is actually healthy and game to go! Any of these three would be great to have as all-world forwards with lots of big game experience. One could argue that AD would be even better than Bam as big for this roster, but I lumped him into this category of the “maybe not too likely to participate due to injuries/injury recovery.” If PG, LeBron or KD are hurt or Tatum is exhausted from a championship run, maybe two of these three end up going to Paris. Butler and Leonard look like they could have deep playoff runs, so we’ll have to wait and see what impact that has on their decisions. Of the three, Kawhi would be first choice after the season he’s been having.
LeBron James – playing a lot of minutes this season to make a playoff push, but maybe that tails off if the Lakers inconsistent play continues. He’s shown that he has plenty left in the tank to contribute on and off the ball. Another Dream Team-type player who is so legendary that it will intimidate opponents–and always nice to have as a big option at point guard. Side note: by July, will he have already left LA to play with Bronny in Cleveland or Miami?
GUARDS
Steph Curry – after what is shaping up to be a very disappointing season for the W’s, Steph will be ready to unleash holy hell on the international stage with this group of vet teammates egging him on. His legend status in the basketball universe will make him a Dream Team-like distraction to other teams, and as always his gravity changes the game on offense.
Devin Booker – practically unguardable these days once he gets going, Booker’s shooting and playmaking will blend perfectly with this group. Plus, his clutch gene may come in handy for close end-of-game situations.
Anthony Edwards – just as everyone had hoped, Ant has blossomed into the go-to-guy on the Wolves, leading them to best team in the West status for the first time ever. He proved in the World Cup that he could be a dependable offensive players and provide some lockdown D when needed. Playing a bit more off-ball with this group, he will be devastating.
Tyrese Halliburton – another call-back from the World Cup team. Hali is Hali in the NBA or on the international stage. He lifts everyone with his love for the game and then makes everyone’s lives easier with pin point passing, and very few turnovers.
Kyrie Irving – as long as he ends the season healthy and is game to go to Paris, it would be a great luxury to have him. He’s obviously a big-game player who won’t be intimidated by any situation. Similar to the Dream Team, Kyrie’s other-worldly ball-handling and offensive creativity is so legendary at this point, he’ll be distracting other teams who want selfies and jersey swaps with him before the games even tip off.
Next up (i.e. keep your schedule clear and your bags packed just in case the phone rings last minute):
Playmaking, Swiss Army knife guard/wings: Cade Cunningham or Scottie Barnes or Jalen Williams
Big wings who can make a defensive impact: Paolo Banchero (next in line to take PG/Kawhi’s spot on the 1st team) or Aaron Gordon or Mikal Bridges
Elite scorers: Donovan Mitchell. Desmond Bane or Damian Lillard
Fast, highly-skilled guards: Trae Young, De’Aaron Fox or Ja Morant or LaMelo Ball
Rim protecting big with offensive versatility: Chet Holmgren
Not quite ready, but keeping an eye on them:
Tyrese Maxey
Darius Garland
Evan Mobley
Keegan Murray
Austin Reaves
Devin Vassell
Jalen Duren
Ausar and Amen Thompson
Won’t make the cut for this team:
DeMar DeRozan
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jerami Grant
Bradley Beal
Jaylen Brown
Khris Middleton
Julius Randle
Brook Lopez
Draymond Green
Derrick White
Zion Williamson
Brandon Ingram
Kyle Kuzma
Myles Turner
Klay Thompson
Jalen Brunson
Zach LaVine
Fran VanVleet
Jabari Smith
Alex Caruso
