• Kyle Kuzma thinks Team USA needs more role-players
• Star-led teams in the national team setup struggle especially if the players aren’t playing with effort
• Team USA has struggled to compete in non-Olympic competitions in the last decade
Team USA is unlike any other national team in the world. Due to the nature of NBA culture, most top stars do not declare to play for Team USA in any competition outside the Olympics. That has seen us not win a medal in the last two FIBA World Cups. Kyle Kuzma believes this could be fixed if they took role-players willing to do the dirty work on Team USA.
“USA basketball better get some NBA stars that know how to play a role. Anybody can be nice with the ball in their hands but can you be cool with defending and going to the corner for a few possessions?”
USA basketball better get some nba stars that know how to play a role. Anybody can be nice with the ball in their hands but can you be cool with defending and going to the corner for a few possessions?
— kuz (@kylekuzma) September 12, 2023
The team for the FIBA World Cup had its fair share of players who grind out wins in the NBA by being hustle players.
Mikal Bridges is a prime example, but his defensive ability didn’t translate very well onto the FIBA court. The same goes for the likes of Bobby Portis, who plays a gritty enforcer role on the Bucks but was anonymous during the World Cup.
Devin Booker Expresses Intent To Join Team USA
After Kuzma made his tweet, Devin Booker quickly responded to it by making it clear that he would be willing to play as well as do the dirty stuff on the court like defending and spotting up in the corner. Given the stars that may be joining the team for the Olympics, it won’t be surprising to see a player of Booker’s caliber be relegated to being an off-ball scorer.
I’ll do it https://t.co/77PBGNEQ0W
— Book (@DevinBook) September 12, 2023
Given how prestigious the Olympics are, it seems Booker will not be the last one to join. The current list of expected talent is long and headlined by the three biggest stars of their generation: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Playing in the 2024 Olympics will likely be the final time for all three players to share a court together in a competitive setup.
Can Kyle Kuzma Book A Berth On The Roster?
Given Keldon Johnson’s inclusion in the 2020 Olympics squad, Kyle Kuzma could hope to be in the mix of an invite to the 2024 Olympic squad. Kuzma has phenomenal on-court chemistry with LeBron, and bringing Kuzma along with LeBron could be of great value. Kuzma is also a lanky 3-and-D forward who can guard multiple positions while improving his outside shot from season to season.
Kuzma averaged 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists last season on a below-expectation Wizards squad. This year, they’re being pegged to bomb, with Kuzma and Jordan Poole as their star duo. He needs to have a stellar season and not be overshadowed by Poole if he wants his talents to feature on Team USA.
The fit is complimentary, but with only 12 roster spots and tremendous interest from everyone to be a part of this superteam US team, it’s likely Kuzma will miss out.
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