Olympic Basketball Returns
The 2021 US Men’s Olympic Basketball team has the chance to be one of the more special teams in recent history. With an abundance of talent to represent the United States, coming up with a 12 man roster based on the 57 man finalist list will be tough, but no matter who is or isn’t on the team, the US team should be heavy favorites.
One of the biggest questions about the Olympic roster for this year’s team is who will not play for health concerns. According to a recent study, this season’s NBA all stars missed 19% of games (370 of 1,944 possible games), which is a new record. Top players such as LeBRon James, Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Kevin Durant all have dealt with some sort of ailment this season. James missed 27 games with a sprained ankle, returned for the playoffs, but it is rumored that James was only 85% at the time. After getting eliminated in the first round, LeBron said, “”Nah, I think I’m gonna play for the Tune Squad this summer instead of the Olympics.”, as James is set to hit the screen in Space Jam 2 this summer. Davis and Harden both dealt with groin and hamstring issues, affecting their regular season and also forcing both to miss at least one or more playoff games. Durant, just returned to the hardwood after one year recovering from a torn achilles.
Even if these four top players were to not participate this summer, the US will still have one of the better teams we have seen. Starting at guard, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard and Chris Paul are three future hall of famers, and have the chance to all be on the same roster. Other possibilities include Devin Booker, Trae Young, Kyle Lowry, Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal, Jrue Holiday, Jimmy Butler and Donovan Mitchell, as well as some others.
Next, at forward (excluding James, Davis, and Durant) there is tons of talent. Headlined by Kawhi Leonard, Bam Adebayo, Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Julius Randle, Zion Williamson and Draymond Green. Some outside possibilities at the forward spot feature sharpshooting Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris and Brandon Ingram. Deciding what four or five of these guys make the final 12 man roster will be really tough, especially if James, Davis or Durant decide to play.
There could be a chance to grab six or seven forwards to the final roster, as the depth at center for the US team is their weakest link. The top possibilities are, DeAndre Jordan, Mitchell Robinson, Mason Plumlee, Myles Turner, Andre Drummond and Dwight Howard. Jordan and Drummond have both had special careers in the NBA, but are both past their primes at this point. Plumlee has never really been a full time starter on a contending team in his career and is averaging 8.5 points per game for his career. Mitchell Robinson and Myles Turner offer the most youth and defensive excitement. Robinson has struggled staying healthy so far in his young career, but is a force defensively, averaging 2.1 blocks per game and shooting 70.5 from the field in his first three seasons. Turner has averaged double digit points for every season in his career, and in this past season averaged 3.4 blocks per game, leading the league.
Head Coach Greg Popovich will have good problems on his hands, as there is so much talent to pick to make his final 12 man roster for the olympics. Ultimately our final 12 looks like this:
Guards
- Steph Curry
- Damian Lillard
- Chris Paul
- Devin Booker
- Donovan Mitchell
- Jimmy Butler
Forwards
- Kahwi Leonard
- Jayson Tatum
- Paul George
- Zion Williamson
- Bam Adebayo
Centers
- Myles Turner
Even if the final team looks completely different from this one, Team USA should be heavy favorites to take home the gold this summer for the 16th time at the Olympics.