USA Basketball: Players poised to make the 2019 World Cup roster

Forwards

At the forward spot, Team USA will look to have around five players on the squad. The 2016 Olympic roster all saw five players at the forward position in Carmelo Anthony, Harrison Barnes, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Paul George. Each of those players were interchangeable on the court for USA Basketball and this year’s squad will look to have a similar make-up.

With his move this season from playing the shooting guard position over to small forward, DeMar DeRozan will be a candidate to start at the 3 spot for Team USA. Having had an efficient regular season that also saw DeRozan average a career high in assists, DeMar looks primed to be a key contributor on the 2019 USA World Cup roster.

The fact that Gregg Popovich is both his NBA head coach as well as the head coach of USA Basketball makes DeRozan’s position on the team almost a shoe-in.

The next potential starting spot is a little more tricky. Because of free agent obligations (e.g. Kevin Durant) and players rehabbing from injuries (e.g. Blake Griffin), many of the top forwards will not likely be making the trip to China. One player who has expressed interest in playing in the FIBA World Cup this season is Kevin Love.

Like Lillard, Love has never made a Team USA Senior Roster spot. In terms of prior basketball obligations, Love’s team did not make the playoffs and he has the next 3-4 months to get himself healthy and in playing shape to compete with USA Basketball in China. This, along with the lack of options at power forward, makes Love a serious candidate to make the 2019 World Cup roster.

Two guys also positioned to make the roster at forward are Khris Middleton and Harrison Barnes. Middleton made his first all star game this year while helping the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the Eastern Conference. His elite 3-D skills will be much needed for Popovich and the rest of Team USA.

Barnes has experience playing for USA Basketball, being a part of the 2016 Olympic Team that won gold in Brazil. His offensive versatility while being able to guard both forward positions will allow Team USA to match up with both bigger or smaller teams.

For the last forward spot, expect likely 1st overall pick Zion Williamson to be a part of the FIBA World Cup roster. A report has circulated that USA Basketball is looking to gauge Zion’s interest in joining the National Team roster. Like Anthony Davis before him, Williamson would gain a lot of invaluable experience, even if he isn’t much of a contributor for the team in China.

Expect Zion and Team USA to come to an agreement on his participation in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Honorable mentions: Draymond Green and Gordon Hayward.