The 2024 Olympics are not that far away, and there is already a ton of chatter as to which players should suit up for Team USA. Gone are the days when the USA blows every other country out of the water when it comes to basketball talent because teams such as France, Canada, Greece, and Serbia are all major threats to America’s throne as the basketball kings. Now, the USA is still ahead of the pack, but it will not be easy for them to win the Olympics if they fail to respect their opponents and go through the motions.
Looking ahead to 2024, it is time to uncover which players will make up the 12-man roster to take on the rest of the world. The National Basketball Association is the best basketball league on the planet, and all of Team USA’s stars will come from it. But which players will be chosen from an elite pool of talent? Veterans such as LeBron James have called it quits on their international careers, meaning that a host of youngsters will have to lead the charge. Luckily, with head coach Steve Kerr taking the mantle, there could be a few veterans who will want to go for one last hurrah. It is time to uncover the 2024 Team USA Dream Team that will look to win the Olympics.
Stephen Curry
Headlining the 2024 USA Dream Team is Stephen Curry, the best point guard in the world. Curry has yet to win an Olympics medal, the only thing missing on his legendary basketball resume. Stephen Curry even admitted this, albeit half-heartedly, when he commented after finally capturing the Finals MVP award last year:
“No, I’m not good yet, because I gotta go play for coach Kerr in 24 in Paris. That wasn’t a, ‘I’m going to do it.’ That was just what he said.”
Clearly, Steph realizes that winning Olympic Gold would solidify his legacy forever as one of the best point guards to have ever done it. He is actually already solidified, but capturing Gold would complete his trophy cabinet that has MVP awards, NBA titles, a Finals MVP, and two scoring titles. No doubt, a competitor as great as Curry will want the Olympic medal for the sake of his legacy and will be one of the leaders of the squad under head coach Steve Kerr.
Ja Morant
Ja Morant will be the primary backup to Stephen Curry as one of the most athletic players in the world. Morant has developed his game to be more than just a rim driver and leaper and is good at controlling games and taking them over as needed. This season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Morant is averaging 26.8 PPG and 7.9 APG.
Morant will be a bundle of energy coming off the bench as a primary backup to Stephen Curry, and Steve Kerr might actually play Morant with Steph to maximize offensive output. No doubt, Morant will be one of the better players of Team USA.
Trae Young
A version of Stephen Curry who is not quite as good, Trae Young will be tasked to play backup minutes and lead the offense when Curry sits down. Young has similar characteristics as Steph in terms of making outside shots and creating shots for his teammates, so his presence will be invaluable.
Trae won’t have the green light that he has with the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA, but he will need to show confidence in attacking defenses and creating for others as well. As arguably the best playmaker on the team, Young will need to focus his efforts on making others around him better on the court.
Devin Booker
As one of the best scorers on the team, Devin Booker will need to bring his shot-creation abilities and sharpshooting skills to the table consistently. Booker is not the most stout defender, but he will need to focus on that end and use his teammates as help when needed. Regardless, Booker should be a valuable performer for Team USA.
Booker is currently posting 27.1 PPG for the Phoenix Suns this season, so he will need to be aware that taking a backseat role to the likes of Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, and Jayson Tatum will be necessary to maximize Team USA’s chances of winning Gold.
Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell is having a terrific season in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers and will need to repeat that kind of production for Team USA to give his team the best chance to win every game. Mitchell is a better defender than Booker and is more athletic, so he will be competing for minutes.
It is likely that Mitchell will back up Booker as the primary shooting guard and will be a valuable member of the offense as needed. Donovan’s athleticism will be key for Team USA as the team will look to run, jump, and finish at the rim as much as possible.
Kawhi Leonard
Just like Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard will be hungry to add Olympic Gold to his trophy cabinet that has 2 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, and 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards. Leonard has not won the Olympics yet and deserves it, considering how dominant he is as a two-way player when he is actually on the floor.
Leonard has been one of the most polarizing players in NBA history since his final season with the San Antonio Spurs. He just does not seem to be too forced to play games unless he feels 110%, and for Team USA, Kawhi must be available because he is the best defender on the team by a wide margin.
Jayson Tatum
Other than Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum has the largest cache for leading an offense. Team USA will do well when Tatum is one of the most used offensive targets because his talent is off the chart. So far this season, Tatum is having a spectacular season by posting 30.9 PPG for the Boston Celtics.
Tatum understands he has a ton of help around him and is knowledgeable enough to defer at times to Durant and Curry. The superstar forward might be the MVP of the NBA right now, but it is likely he won’t be the MVP for Team USA, although he will be one of their top-five players in terms of statistical output.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is the best player on Team USA, and there is no question about that. KD already has 3 Olympic Gold medals to his name, and he is America’s greatest-ever player in international competition. Just like every Team USA fan in the world, Steve Kerr desperately wants Kevin Durant to play for his side in 2024:
“That would be nice,” said Kerr, who joked he would “most likely pull him aside tonight” to make a recruiting pitch. “I mean, he’s been so dominant with Team USA and like I said, he’s a guy who just, he loves to play. So we’re hoping he decides to keep going.”
Obviously, having Durant greatly boosts Team USA’s chances of winning Gold. He is simply that good, and he could be the MVP of the tournament if he does play. KD does not have much to prove to anybody and does not need a fourth Gold medal, but he can achieve that by also increasing his lead on every other player when it comes to scoring.
Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson is having a terrific year for the New Orleans Pelicans, posting 25.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 4.7 APG while looking to make his 2nd All-Star Team. The 22-year-old looks to be in tremendous shape and might be the best finisher in the paint right now. His soft touch around the rim is nothing but a gift, and he has the athleticism to be a major player for Team USA.
Very few players in the Olympics can match Zion’s speed, strength, explosiveness, and agility as a 6’6”, 284 lb big man. The muscle-bound big man is a force inside and will very likely start alongside Anthony Davis for Team USA. Can one imagine Zion Williamson catching lobs from Steph and Ja? Yikes.
Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo will likely back up Zion Williamson and Anthony Davis because he brings excellent scoring inside the paint along with defensive acumen. Team USA will need defenders because Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Victor Wenbenyama will be hard to handle. Adebayo has the IQ and agility to help out defending all those guys.
Bam is also a hustle-first player who will do what it takes to help the team, and his presence will be needed for Team USA all tournament long. His shots won’t come in regularity, and he must accept that, but winning Gold should be the priority for the Miami Heat center.
Anthony Davis
The best center that Team USA has, Anthony Davis, will have to start. He has been on a tear over the last few weeks in the NBA and has looked like a top-ten player for most of the year. Davis is posting 27.4 PPG and 12.1 RPG for the Los Angeles Lakers this year and seems to be back to his best in terms of his focus and dominance.
But the issue with Davis is always his health because he always seems to get injured. He is currently out indefinitely with a stress injury in his right foot. If Davis is healthy (fingers crossed), he will have to be a starter in Steve Kerr’s system because the big man can defend, shoot, and score inside with the best of them in the Olympics.
Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the best shooting big men in NBA history, will surely feature in Steve Kerr’s offensive system. Towns is an exceptional shooter for his size and also has the skills to be a rebounder and paint protector on the other end. As a backup to Davis, Towns will be a valuable player off the bench.
The more shooting and size that Team USA has, the better. It is hard to find a player that can do what Towns does on the floor, as he will be needed to counter what Jokic, Embiid, and Giannis bring to their respective teams.
Who Will Be The Biggest Competition In The 2024 Olympic Games?
Team USA has the most talent from top to bottom. Their depth is surreal, and the superstars, including Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, and Anthony Davis, will be difficult to handle on both ends of the court. Team USA could be considered a “Dream Team” because they check all the boxes when looking at scoring, defense, size, and athleticism. With Steve Kerr on the bench, Team USA will also have a basketball genius to keep everyone on the same page and hungry to win it for their country.
But who will prove to be the biggest competition to the USA? For one, France looks very intimidating. Upcoming rookie Victor Wenbenyama will be a major addition to the French nation because, as a 7-footer, the youngster can score the ball at an All-Star level while also rebounding and defending. Assuming Victor plays at the small forward position, France can go extremely large with Rudy Gobert at center.
Gobert, even if he does not have many post moves, is a dominant defender inside the paint and is always looking to block shots. Of course, there is also Joel Embiid, one of the top-ten players in the NBA right now. Now, Embiid is still mulling whether to play for France as he has become a French citizen. It is not an easy decision for the native Cameroonian, as he has to consider a few things according to current French star Gobert according to The Athletic:
“It has to come from him. “You are either all in, or you’re not. You can’t just show up.
For me the most important thing is if his heart tells him to be a part of Team France,” Gobert told The Athletic. “I want him to do it for the right reasons. As long as he understands that the French national team is different than the NBA. We have rules, we have things that we do. Sometimes we all have lunch and dinner together — it’s not everybody doing their own thing. These are two different teams.”
Joel Embiid himself has come out and spoken on the possibility of playing with France by playing it coy:
“I don’t want to talk about international stuff,” Embiid said.
I had a feeling going in, actually, that he would be reluctant to entertain the topic of which way are you leaning. But I did press him for one follow-up: Why is it an off-limits topic?
“Because it’s the NBA season,” Embiid said. “I’m focused on us getting better as a team and me getting better as a player. I’m focused on making it to the playoffs and doing something there. I’m gonna worry about the rest later.
“For now,” Embiid added, “it’s all about trying to do whatever is possible to win a championship.”
If Joel Embiid does, in fact, join the French team, they will be the absolute favorites to knock off Team USA. The trio of Wenbenyama, Embiid, and Gobert will be extremely difficult to score against and also compete with their size. Of course, the Olympics will be held in Paris, France, so homecourt advantage will be a major plus as well. For Team USA, they will need to think of ways of combating France’s size because they can dominate inside the paint and also score from outside.
Other than France, another major threat to the USA is Canada. Andrew Wiggins was recently an All-Star last season and is the reigning NBA champion. With elite athleticism and two-way play, Wiggins brings experience, scoring, and defense to a Canadian team that sports other top stars, including Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Murray is coming back from major injuries, and while he has yet to make an All-Star Team, he is an exceptional offensive player who can get hot from the perimeter at any given moment. Not to mention, Gilgeous-Alexander is balling out of his mind this season by posting 31.6 PPG for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Other than Canada, Serbia and Greece are major problems for Team USA. Nikola Jokic will lead the charge for Serbia, and he always seems to dominate the court every time he steps on the court. Team USA does not have a big man as talented as Jokic and will need to focus their efforts on stopping him down low. Similarly, Greece has the best player in the world right now in Giannis Antetokounmpo. A team must consist of more than one superstar player, but Giannis is good enough to win the Olympics for Greece.
It certainly won’t be easy for Team USA to get the job done against France, Canada, Serbia, or Greece, but they have the talent from top to bottom to do it. It will all come down to coaching and if Steve Kerr can get the superstars to buy into his defensive system that also encourages ball movement and smart offense on the other end. If Team USA build chemistry, they should reign supreme as champions. If not, we could see France, Canada, Greece, or Serbia reign supreme atop the basketball world.
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