USA Basketball: Early starting lineup and bench projections for 2024
Other players to be considered
I’ll keep this section short, but didn’t want some of these guys to go unnoticed. At the end of the day, team USA is going to be a juggernaut loaded with talent, so it’s not a knock on anyone who gets left off the roster. However, I think having guys who are better at playing team basketball vs. guys who like to create on their own and play in isolation will be a huge help in international competition.
Some guards who could make the team might include De’Aaron Fox, Damian Lillard, Desmond Bane, LaMelo Ball, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Donavan Mitchell, Tyrese Maxey, Zach LaVine and Trae Young. Forwards: Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Kuzma, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Mikal Bridges.
Centers: Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson, and Julius Randle.
The names left off the list clearly show the crazy player pool that USA Basketball has to pick from. Realistically, we could have an A and B team and take home the gold and silver. If the goal is to show up to Paris and dominate and make sure everyone knows we are still at the top of the food chain, I think it would be best to take a mix of the old and new eras.
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Limit the number of players who like to play in isolation and bring as many who can create as possible and I believe the US takes home the gold without a single victory under double digits.