The Olympic Basketball scene can be some of the most fun basketball to watch. Put these players on a team and it'd be the Redeem Team 2.0
Photo By: Charlie Neibergall (AP)
The 2024 Olympics are just around the corner, and Team USA has dominated the basketball tournament for a long time. However, the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo were wildly disappointing in the aspect that the team wasn't invincible. They lost two of their exhibition games in Las Vegas against Nigeria and Australia. Then in group play, they lost to France in their opening game and finished 2nd in Group A to the French. While they ended up winning gold, Team USA needs a rebuild. Younger, better players need to be added to the Team USA pipeline. So let me dream for a minute and explain my dream team.
Starters:
PG: Ja Morant
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Joel Embiid
I'm not going hyper-unrealistic with this dream team. Because realistically, LeBron and Curry are done with international play. I want to bring in guys that are going to be on the Olympic team for years to come. So go get a young Point Guard like Ja Morant to run the offense. Morant was in the running to make the team back in 2019 but ultimately wasn't selected. Jaylen Brown was on the 2019 team that went 6-2 in a disappointing FIBA tournament run. But Brown has vastly improved since 2019 and could make a huge impact on both ends of the ball for this squad.
At the 3 I have the greatest Team USA player of all time. Kevin Durant is a 3-time gold medalist and the leading scorer in Team USA history. He's still obviously one of the best scorers in the world right now and should continue to play Olympic basketball and build his legacy. Then at the other forward position, I have Jayson Tatum. He brings two-way play which is much needed in international play. Tatum played on the 2020 team with Durant and played okay enough to get a call back for 2024 for me.
Then the big man down low is Joel Embiid. While he was born in Cameroon, Embiid has citizenship in both the United States and France. JoJo's international career announcement is expected to come after the conclusion of this NBA season, but it would be amazing to see him in the red, white, and blue next to some of the greatest stars in the game. He would bring a much-needed paint presence to the squad, which has been missing from Team USA since the Tim Duncan/Amar'e Stoudemire days in the infamous 2004 Athens Olympics.
Bench:
G: Trae Young
G: Donovan Mitchell
G: Devin Booker
F: Mikal Bridges
F: Zion Williamson
F: Bam Adebayo
C: Anthony Davis
By itself, the bench could probably win a gold medal. I was limited to 7 guys to add to the bench to fill out the 12 man roster. There were some tough cuts that had to be made, but I think that this bench provides a little bit of everything. At the lead guard, I have Trae Young, who was cut in 2020 but is expected to play in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He brings great playmaking and scoring to a team that needs a guy who can create for others as well as himself. Donovan Mitchell does that as well. Except for Mitchell, he's played for Team USA before, all the way back in 2019 for the World Cup. Devin Booker would be one of just 4 guys to make it from the 2020 team, as he was electric all throughout his time in Tokyo. He averaged 9.3 PPG and had a huge 20 point performance against Australia in the semi-finals.
As for the forwards, I have Zion Williamson leading the way. He didn't make the final cut back in 2020, but was listed as a finalist for the roster following his 2019 rookie campaign. Williamson brings an explosive dynamic to a team with a bunch of outside creators. Zion would likely be the first forward off the bench and would provide a lob-threat on a team with a bunch of capable playmakers. Then I have Bam Adebayo, who was the starting Center for the 2020 squad. He played well in Tokyo, but would be regulated to the bench on this stacked team.
This may be a surprise to many, but I have Mikal Bridges making the team as a defensive specialist. He'd be the only player on the team to not be named to an NBA All-Star team, but he was a finalist for the 2022 DPOY, and can knock down 3s at a high rate. Plus, I feel like every Team USA squad has one of these types of players (Jerami Grant, Andre Iguodala, Tayshaun Prince). Bridges wouldn't get a lot of minutes, but he'd provide value when he does get on the court. But one guy who would play a lot is Anthony Davis. He didn't play in 2020 due to an injury, but AD played back in 2012 as a collegiate player. Davis would bring a little bit of everything to the table for Team USA, and he'd bring a veteran presence to a relatively young team.
Coaches:
Head Coach: Steve Kerr
Associate: Nick Nurse
Assistant: Lloyd Pierce
Assistant: Jay Wright
Coaches are honestly the most important thing when it comes to international play. Gregg Popovich just hasn't had a great time as Team USA's head man, so it's time for a new leader. That man is Steve Kerr, who has coached under Gregg Popovich with Team USA for years now. Kerr would bring a new offensive playstyle to Team USA that utilizes spacing and cutting, which suits this type of roster. Kerr has experience with some of the players like Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Bam Adebayo. Plus, he's somewhat of a younger coach in comparison to the last two.
The assistant coaching staff is just as important. So as the lead assistant to Steve Kerr, I have Nick Nurse. The Raptors head coach has spent time as an associate head coach at Iowa State and Toronto, so this isn't a new role for him. Lloyd Pierce has spent time with Team USA before and has been a respected defensive assistant coach for many teams in the NBA. Then as the older, more experience coach on the team, I've brought back retired Villanova head coach Jay Wright for another term as an Olympic assistant. Wright has coached under Popovich in 2019 and 2020 but would bring a different aspect of wisdom to this young coaching staff.
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