The United States of America (USA) Basketball on Wednesday announced its potential 2024 Summer Olympics roster, featuring LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant among the 41 players, showcasing the potential of the sport.
Defending the National Basketball Association (NBA) MVP Joel Embiid, who committed to USA Basketball in October, is another virtual lock to make the final 12-man roster, according to Bleacher Report.
Trying to pick just 12 players out of that impressive pool of options is no small feat, but a few players seem like safe bets if they are healthy.
According to the Bleacher Report’s prediction, Team USA will need two reliable centres, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, to support Embiid. However, the decision to carry three centres on a 12-man roster remains a tough one.
Curry will be added to one guard spot, while James and Durant will handle two wing spots. The roster will be highly competitive.
Players like Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Jayson Tatum, and Scottie Barnes should be considered for wing positions.
Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson, De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young warrant possible selection for the position of guard.
Here’s an early projection of what the roster could look like by the Bleacher Report:
Centres: Embiid / Davis
Wings: James / Durant / Tatum / Edwards / Leonard / George / Butler
Point Guard: Curry / Lillard / Haliburton
Team USA may need to add a player specialising in defence or use one less point guard due to their impressive talent.
They could also opt for three true centres or two centres and a third player for smaller lineups.
Regardless of their decision, Team USA will be loaded and anything less than a gold medal would be an epic failure for their impressive team.
