The 2023 FIBA World Cup wrapped up over the weekend with Germany defeating Serbia for the gold medal and Canada defeating the USA for bronze.
That the stars of the final weekend were Dennis Schroder and Dillon Brooks should tell you that we're dealing with something very different than NBA basketball. But this was still an embarrassment for Team USA.
Even with a team headlined by second-tier (or third-tier?) stars like Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards, Team USA was expecting to win the whole thing. Leaving without any medal has exacerbated the hand-wringing about the state of the program which finished seventh at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Team USA used a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics to redeem themselves for that dispiriting finish and will be looking to do the same thing next summer as the wheel of disappointment and redemption rolls on to the 2024 Olympics.
According to Shams Charania, LeBron James is personally working on building out the roster, having already spoken with Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum about playing in the Olympics. Daman Lillard, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Booker and Kyrie Irving have also, reportedly, expressed interest in playing.
Including LeBron, that's a 10-man roster right there. It's also one with four point guards and some notable holes in terms of size and defensive upside — major problems we've seen with previous iterations of Team USA that have struggled to medal.
I am not in charge of USA Basketball. But if I were asked for my input on how to build out a team around LeBron, I would recommend dropping Kyrie. Fox seems unlikely to play for Team USA again. He withdrew during camp in 2019 which may have burned some bridges, and also seemed frustrated with Gregg Popovich showing apparent favoritism toward Derrick White.
Knock those two out and you have four open roster sports. Here's who would be at the top of my list to fill them.
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Mikal Bridges: If Anthony Edwards does use his somewhat dominant FIBA experience to take another leap and catapult himself into the MVP race this season (even at the outer fringes) it may be hard to leave him out. But Bridges is a much, much better fit with the rest of this roster. He's more versatile with the ability to defend 4s and 5s, and an elite defender overall. He's a much better spot-up shooter and still offers plenty of self-creation and shot-making chops. He's not as electric as Edwards but there is a much clearer role for him to play and he's much better suited for it.
Bam Adebayo: Davis would be the hypothetical defensive anchor for this year but Team USA would need another defensive big and Adebayo could be the best fit. He doesn't have the shot-blocking upside of Jaren Jackson Jr. but he's a better rebounder, more comfortable banging with bigger bodies and his facility as a passer is probably more valuable in this context than Jackson's outside shooting and floor-spacing.
Jimmy Butler: Butler could have an impeccable impact on Team USA vibes, keeping things light when they need to be and ensuring collective intensity when it's called for. He may not have the athleticism or energy to be an elite perimeter defender for 35 minutes every single night in the NBA but last year's postseason run showed that he's more than capable of rising to the occasion. No one is going to outwork him and no one is going to wear him down with physicality.
Kawhi Leonard: This is an enormous question mark because of his health (not to mention his desire to potentially risk it in this setting). But Leonard can be a ferocious defender and has the size and strength to war with 4s without sacrificing anything in terms of Team USA's ability to get out in transition and space the floor. The offensive adjustment would be big for him and, again, he may not want to play (or play off the bench), but he could be an absolute ace off the bench.
Evan Mobley: This is a complete wild card pick as Mobley would be considerably younger and less experienced than everyone else on this roster. He's also on the verge of becoming one of the best defensive big men in the entire league and could be prepared to embark on a breakout season. He can defend the rim, work the glass and is mobile enough to thrive in an uptempo game. Jaren Jackson may seem like a surer thing but he just struggled through the FIBA World Cup and I think there's a decent chance Mobley proves himself to be just as impressive a defender by the end of the coming season.
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Time for the Team USA post-mortem
With a few more weeks to the regular season we probably aren't done dissecting Team USA's FIBA failure. Dillon Brooks (surprising) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (unsurprising) both torched them in the bronze medal game.
R.J. Barrett was a factor as well and, combined, Canada's starting guards and wings combined for 93 points and 19 assists, shooting 13-of-19 from beyond the arc. For Team USA, Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards and Mikal Bridges put up 56 points and 9 assists, shooting 5-of-12 from beyond the arc.
This was just one game but emblematic of their problems. When they faced teams with NBA-level talent their lack of cohesion and on-court chemistry, and the skill holes on the roster were exposed.
READ MORE:
- Why Team USA failed to medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup by Kevin Pelton, for ESPN
- Team USA Just Wasn't Good Enough by Michael Pina, for The Ringer
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