Klay Thompson played in 2016, and Team USA almost always has a designated sniper or two on the roster. Draymond Green is a two-time Olympian and might be the best American answer to Embiid and Jokic. Superstars of their caliber have endless demands on their time.Ĭurry isn't the only Warrior in the mix here. Curry has expressed interest publicly, but there's a reason LeBron James hasn't played since 2012. Embiid is the most important target for Team USA given positional scarcity, but Curry is probably the best player conceivably available to Kerr. Stephen Curry won two gold medals for Team USA, but both were at the World Cup. Unspoken in Kerr's appointment as Team USA's coach was presumably the hope that he could lure perhaps the greatest American player to never compete in the Olympics. Team USA will be able to find good players at center, but landing on the right ones is a far greater challenge. Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo have been there and done that already, and given his injury issues, Davis likely won't ever play in international competition again. Myles Turner and Brook Lopez played for Team USA at the 2019 World Cup, but it didn't go well. But neither is particularly well-suited to deal with Embiid, let alone Nikola Jokic should he suit up for Serbia. Chet Holmgren just played for the Select Team, and Evan Mobley wore red, white and blue in both the U-17 and U-19 World Cups in the past. Pickings aren't exactly slim after Philadelphia's center. Steve Kerr's roster decisions, to some extent, will be based on whether or not he can land the MVP. But if Embiid suits up for the Americans? Suddenly the front-court battle looks a whole lot more even, and Team USA's superior perimeter talent can carry it the rest of the way. Team USA can't compete with that three-headed monster inside. Remember, France not only has Rudy Gobert already, but has Victor Wembanyama waiting in the wings. Embiid is also a naturalized French citizen, and his decision may well determine who wins gold in Paris. Even if he does, Team USA isn't his only option. Embiid has expressed interest in playing in the Olympics, though he hasn't made a commitment. Joel Embiid is a naturalized American citizen, and there is a precedent for Team USA relying on a foreign-born big man, as Hakeem Olajuwon won gold for Team USA in 1996. There's only one obvious answer to that problem, and he's Cameroonian.Įach team is allowed to bring one naturalized citizen to FIBA competitions. Jackson frequently gets into foul trouble, and then Team USA's options are Paolo Banchero, a rookie forward masquerading as a center, and Bobby Portis, an NBA reserve. The United States no longer produces the world's best big men. Team USA's loss to Lithuania pointed to a larger, disturbing trend within USA Basketball. So let's take a look at what might change at the Olympics as Team USA builds a roster that can hopefully do what the World Cup team couldn't. If the Americans are going to win gold in Paris, it is going to have to come on the basis of talent. It has continuity Team USA simply can't match. Germany has most of the same team that took bronze at EuroBasket last summer. The downside of that approach played out on Friday. In a perfect world, a few of those young players stand out and make it onto the Olympic roster, but generally, those roster slots are hoarded by more experienced stars. The biggest stars don't want to make multi-year commitments and older players are usually either too busy or too tired from the season to play in consecutive summers, so they prioritize the Olympics and Team USA grabs the best young talent it can muster. While foreign countries tend to build programs on continuity, Team USA rarely has any. This is how it tends to go at the World Cup. Steve Kerr brought only three All-Stars to the Philippines: Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Jaren Jackson Jr., and all three of them made it for the first time last season. There's a fairly simple explanation for why: they tend to bring the B-Team. In six 21st-century World Cups, Team USA has won only twice.
Yes, Team USA lost its chance at a World Cup gold medal on Friday in its loss to Germany, but USA Basketball shouldn't be all that surprised.
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