The United States of America has been the dominant force in basketball for generations, monopolizing the men’s 5×5 tournament by consistently winning Gold. That dominance hasn’t reached the 3×3 team, who finished 7th out of 9 teams at the Paris Olympics. Draymond Green created a lineup of young NBA players who could dominate 3×3 basketball if they were allowed to play.
“Why are no young NBA players on the 3×3 team? Guys who haven’t gotten an opportunity to play in the national yet or guys who may never get that opportunity.”
“Naz Reid is an animal, he’d destroy these dudes. He gives everybody in the league fits. Naz Reid, Jalen Green, you got big Jalen Duren and a fourth. This is about building a resume, however, I think he’s on his way to being a superstar and he’ll probably be on the next Team USA, Tyrese Maxey. Imagine Maxey getting his first Gold medal.”
“I can’t understand for the life of me why that 3×3 team was the team we ended up with. I am baffled.”
Why aren't there young NBA players on the USA 3×3 team? 🤔 @Money23Green pic.twitter.com/HPbqDgF6Bd
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 7, 2024
A Team USA 3×3 team with Maxey, Green, and Reid would be a terror to stop, especially with Duren as the fourth man. Maxey is coming off a season where he averaged 25.9 points and 6.2 assists, earning himself a max contract extension with the 76ers this offseason.
Jalen Green’s NBA future with the Rockets has been endlessly scrutinized, but there’s no question about his pure scoring ability, averaging 19.6 points and 5.1 rebounds last season.
Naz Reid is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA, averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds last season while being a crucial reason behind the Timberwolves making their first Conference Finals in 20 years.
Jalen Duren is a promising young center who averaged 13.8 points and 11.6 rebounds with the Pistons last season. He might be the odd man out in terms of the three who’d play, but he’d be impactful whenever he got an opportunity.
The team that represented Team USA in 3×3 at the Olympics featured NCAA legend Jimmer Fredette, the only player who played in the NBA. He was joined by Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis, all players who have never played in the NBA. They lost five out of their seven games and couldn’t even seal a top-six finish to keep their medal hopes alive.
Why Don’t NBA Players Play For The 3×3 Team?
Technically, any NBA player could represent Team USA at the Olympics, but FIBA rules around which players need to be selected cause a headache for major NBA stars.
FIBA rules require each country’s roster to have two players ranked within the top 10 of that country and two players ranked within the top 50 in the specific field of 3×3 basketball, requiring NBA players to take time out of their schedules and risk injury by competing in exclusive 3×3 events.
FIBA expects the 3×3 Olympic rosters to be made of athletes playing regularly on the FIBA 3×3 World Tour or at Challengers events, which simply isn’t possible for NBA stars who have multi-million contracts to protect. Risking an injury or fatigue through competing in 3×3 basketball would be far too big a risk.
Unless FIBA changes its rules, Team USA will likely send below-average 3×3 teams to the Olympics. This does open up medal opportunities for other countries that have suffered multiple losses by Team USA in 5×5 basketball.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
