After failing to medal during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, USA Basketball is sending one of the greatest teams ever assembled to Paris. The 2024 Summer Olympics will be an interesting test for a team that, on paper, should dominate.
The United States is still undoubtedly the best basketball country in the world, but even after putting together their version of The Monstars, this will be the toughest competition they have ever faced in international play. The American squad should take home gold, but it would not be a shocking result if they were to be upset.
The USA participated in five warm-up games and convincingly beat Canada 86-72 in their opening International Friendly matchup. Led by All-NBA First Team combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 2023 NBA Champion Jamal Murray, Canada is viewed as the biggest threat to Team USA, with 11 of its 12 players having NBA experience.
After a relatively easy win over the country to the North, it appeared that the United States team would have nothing to worry about. However, that is not the case. Three of the team’s next four games came down to the wire. They beat Australia by six, Germany by four, and narrowly escaped with a one-point victory over South Sudan. The only team they handled comfortably during the stretch was Nikola Jokic‘s Serbia team, who they beat 105-79.
“Our game is global now. All these guys are huge stars in their own ways,” said Kevin Durant. “We are playing against 69 other NBA players now, and they are all the best of the best in the world.”
Team USA entered their matchup with South Sudan favored by over 40 points, and it took a LeBron James driving layup with eight seconds remaining, followed by a tough defensive stand, just to come out with the win. If that game was any indication of how Paris will go, the United States could be in some trouble.
Sure, these were practice games that did not actually count, and the team is trying to build chemistry, but how hard the opposition is going to come at Team USA will remain the same. If South Sudan can give them a run for their money, a team like Canada or Serbia could easily bounce back with a better performance the next time around, and a player like Jokic or Gilgeous-Alexander might be able to deliver the knockout blow.
“When we play against teams, it is the biggest game of their lives, and we have to expect everyone to play like that, so it is on me and my staff to have everyone prepared,” said head coach Steve Kerr.
The two oldest players on the roster, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, ignite the starting unit and have already shown they were a match made in heaven. James plays the point-forward position, running the offense and overpowering defenders, while Curry, the most lethal shooter in basketball history, runs off screens, needing just a slimmer of an opening. If only these two played together in the NBA.
“His game speaks for itself what he has been able to accomplish on the court. His style of play matches well: a guy who can dribble, pass, and shoot. Being able to work off of him has been pretty seamless; you just try to make the right play, and something good will happen,” Curry said about playing with James.
James is the team captain and was selected as the United States male flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony. He was voted the best player by his teammates and coaches during the USA’s Olympic training camp and staked his claim as the closer for Team USA by coming through in the clutch several times, including scoring the team’s last 11 points in their final win over Germany.
“The enthusiasm and energy (James) has for the game is just contagious, and the more you are around him as a teammate, you can see why he is considered the best player to ever play,” said Durant.
Joel Embiid and Jrue Holiday have been the other two constants in the starting lineup, with several other players rotating in and out of the fifth spot. Durant has yet to play this Summer, and the USA’s all-time leader in Olympic scoring will likely take over the position if and when he returns.
Holiday has been a difference maker up to this point. He is an elite defender who has no problem taking a back seat on offense. Holiday was the fifth-leading scorer for the Boston Celtics this past season but is fully capable of getting a bucket any time his team needs him to. He represents the glue guy who will do a little bit of everything for a team that is full of superstars.
The second unit is just as deadly. The 2024 assist leader in the NBA, Tyrese Haliburton, has the luxury of setting up two assassins on the wing in Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker. Haliburton hit back-to-back clutch threes to seal the win over Australia, and both Edwards and Booker showed they could take over at any moment during the International Friendlies.
The backbone of the team is the combination of size, speed, and athleticism that Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo provide off the bench. The two big men playing alongside each other is an unfair cheat code for Team USA. Good luck trying to drive or grab a rebound against this second unit.
This is not the 2004 USA team that took home bronze. That team only had two All-Stars from the previous NBA season and was missing many of their biggest stars. This team is much better, but it would not be as epic of a collapse if they did not win gold, as the rest of the world is also a lot better.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.