You know, it's Olympic season when Team USA's men's basketball roster comes together like the Avengers.
This is the same scenario for the 2024 Paris Games, where players like Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will headline the 12-man squad. .
Here is the complete list:
- lebron james, los angeles lakers
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
- Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
- Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
- Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
- Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
- Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
- Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics
- Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Team USA is aiming for its fifth consecutive gold medal at this event, but its roster has sparked some controversy.
It's hard to categorize which players are candidates given the small size of the roster and the competition to make the first list.
But if there were any quality exclusions that deserved recognition, which ones would they be? Let's take a look at four.
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Maxey is the main reason the 76ers are able to survive even with Embiid's injury. The 23-year-old guard averaged a career-high 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1 steal on shooting splits of 45/37/87.
Selected 21st overall in 2020, he hasn't necessarily looked out of place on the team as he has consistently improved over his first four seasons. The main problem is that the team already has other scoring guards, making his profile unnecessary.
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Brunson is caught between a rough line between being statistically elite but not an ideal star due to his size and size. The Knicks guard averaged career bests of 28.7 points, 6.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals and shooting splits of 48/40/85.
However, like Maxey, the 27-year-old Brunson also has a profile that makes him unnecessary in the squad, and it would be better to give a chance to a young guard who could have multiple Olympic chances after Paris.
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Irving won two gold medals representing Senior Team USA. He helped the team win a gold medal at the 2014 World Cup and also won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
However, the 32-year-old Mavericks star was not called up despite averaging 25.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 5 rebounds on 50/41/91 shooting splits. Celtics guard Holiday is likely to compete for Irving's spot, but he may have received an offer due to his overall defensive ability.
Cooper Flagg, Duke committed
Few people know about Flagg, but he's a 17-year-old consensus five-star prospect who has committed to Duke. Why does a young player like Flagg need to be called up?
“The one that's really despised is Cooper Flagg,” NBC Sports Boston Celtics analyst Brian Scalabrine said during a panel discussion. “Flag should have been on that team. He was the National Basketball Player of the Year two years ago and may have a future waiting on the wing. Develop him and sit there as the 12th man. Let him learn from the team.'' The greatest players out there. ”
Team USA has called up young prospects in the past, including Anthony Davis in 2012, who just entered the NBA at age 19. Davis was a replacement for the injured Blake Griffin, but his potential was too great to ignore. In the future, flags may also become like that.
