Chris Paul spoke recently with Quentin Richardson on his Knuckleheads Podcast. Chris Paul asked Richardson to guess the members of 2008’s Team USA as part of a game. When giving a hint to Quentin for Carlos Boozer, Michael Redd, and Tayshaun Prince, he called them the three most important players on the team.
Chris Paul: “Now, the next three guys were the most important guys on that team.”
Quentin Richardson: “Tayshaun Prince?”
Paul: “Before there was Giannis, there was…”
Richardson: “Mike Redd, I’m tripping!”
Paul: “Big guy… had a great touch. Two sons that are nice, they’re hoopers now.”
Richardson: “[Carlos] Boozer!”
(4:38 onward)
Paul is certainly giving them a lot of credit and respect in this interview. Boozer, Redd, and Prince played the fewest amount of minutes in the 2008 Olympics – averaging 5.9, 9.0, and 10.9 minutes per game respectively. But is clear that their contributions were very important to the team’s winning result in 2008.
Carlos Boozer averaged 3.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists, and 0.3 steals. As for Michael Redd, he averaged 3.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 0.3 steals per game. And Tayshaun Prince averaged 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 0.4 steals per game.
Obviously, none of their averages jump off the box score, but it is the hard work and effort they put in that made them so valuable to Team USA in 2008. The trio were role players on the Redeem Team, a team assembled by USA Basketball to avenge their poor performance at the previous Olympics.
Both Redd and Boozer were All-Stars in their own right, whereas Tayshaun Prince was one of the best defenders in the NBA, making four All-Defensive teams, and winning an NBA championship with the 2004 Detroit Pistons.
Who Will The Role Players Be On Team USA In 2024?
There has been a lot of discussion about the use of players on Team USA. Jayson Tatum was controversially benched in Team USA’s opener against Serbia. Steve Kerr himself didn’t like having to do so, even claiming that he felt like an idiot relegating Tatum to the bench for the entire game.
Tatum made his way back to the starting lineup yesterday against South Sudan, and Joel Embiid was relegated to the bench, after being named a guaranteed starter by head coach Steve Kerr previously. Kerr spoke after the game and claimed that he only adjusted the lineup to match up well with South Sudan’s size and lack of speed.
It appears as though Kerr has made it clear to the team that he will rotate the squad ahead of all games as he will field the best starting five based on the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses.
And that could help the rest of the squad maintain harmony, as players are not being picked for any other reason but their fit against the opponent. Harmony is an important factor in any team’s success, and that’s what Kerr is trying to instill.
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