The United States has a long history of producing some of the best basketball players in the world, but they have yet to win an international championship. In order to get back on top, USA Basketball is looking for new talent and trying out different strategies.
The nfl week 2 predictions 2021 is a perfect team that would beat anyone by 20 points.
Prior to Sunday’s 83-76 loss to France, the US men’s team had not lost an Olympic match since 2004, when they took bronze. Is history going to repeat itself? For the time being, we don’t know, but we do know that the USA squad isn’t the greatest product that could have been shown.
Many of the real stars chose to skip the Olympics due to the pandemic, the short time between the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons, and the lateness of the NBA Finals. Many of the elder veterans, who have previously won a gold medal, choose to rest rather than compete. Others are attempting to recover from injuries that have cost them and their teams in the playoffs.
While the ideal USA squad would not include any of these players if it were assembled today, we may still fantasize about the ideal NBA lineup. This squad would have blasted out every opponent by at least 20 points if the real best of the best had been selected to represent America.
Starters
Anthony Davis, Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Kevin Durant
Defensively, this All-Star starting lineup would be difficult to beat. Opposing teams’ top talent would be cracked down with this rotation, which includes three-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard and past DPOY runner-up Anthony Davis. Even at 33 and 36 years old, Steph Curry and LeBron James are both underappreciated defenders.
In terms of offense, Curry would be a point guard, while LeBron would be the point forward for this team. LeBron would be able to lead a team of four experienced scorers. After all, LeBron led the NBA in assists in 2020 while Davis was healthy.
Curry is coming off a season in which he averaged 32.0 points per game, which led the NBA. Curry would not only be the greatest shooting guard in the United States, but also the best overall shooter in the planet. Durant, who won two Finals MVPs alongside Curry in Golden State, scored 26.9 points per game for the Nets last season and seems to be fully recovered.
If they all played together in the regular NBA, this starting group would probably go 82-0. Given the NBA’s dominance, there’s little question that this fourth-quarter team would take the United States to another gold medal.
Bench
Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday
Durant is the lone starter on the court, with Jrue Holiday and Bam Adebayo filling in on the bench. After his performance in Game 1 of the Olympics, Holiday will be one of America’s most recognized players. Due to the Milwaukee Bucks’ schedule issue with the NBA Finals, Holiday joined the squad two days before their first game and led the team in scoring with 18 points.
Despite his outstanding performance and first championship ring, Holiday would be the roster’s 12th player. Holiday’s defense is important in spurts, but James Harden and Russell Westbrook would be the first choices off the bench. Westbrook is a four-time member of the triple-double club, while Harden is a three-time scoring champion.
The possibilities are limitless. Kyrie Irving has some of the greatest touches in the NBA, and he’s your backup point guard? Paul George is coming off a playoff season for the first time in his career. He’s also a superb defender who can finish games if necessary. Zion Williamson has the ability to play center. He’s tall and powerful, and he’s capable of playing bully ball like France did against the United States. While Adebayo is an excellent two-way player, Zion is more powerful, giving the Americans depth in both scenarios.
This bench is the world’s deepest. Realistically, the USA squad could start five players off this bench and still win by double digits.
System
When it comes to defending the system, Kawhi and AD are the best in the country. Curry can contribute even if he is the “worst” defender in this starting lineup. We saw him accomplish just that in Golden State, when he was part of a defensively excellent team led by Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Durant, who was an underappreciated defender for three seasons, can potentially make a significant contribution. Defense is the foundation of any successful attack. Snagging steals is a skill that superstars like Leonard and Davis excel at, allowing Durant to flourish in transition.
Even LeBron James is a sluggish defender. LeBron has a career steal rate of 1.6 per game. Having LeBron and Durant in transition, on the other hand, would be an automatic bucket on the floor. Curry would find a way to get open, and with one more pass, that three-point shot would be counted every time.
On the attacking side of the ball, Davis is a valuable asset. He would draw the opposing center out of the paint because he has developed a mid-range jump jumper, which would free up the middle even more for guys like LeBron, Durant, and Leonard, who can put their head down and dribble right down the lane.
With guys like Harden, Westbrook, and George on the bench, you can see some of these parallels. It would be too much to combine defense and attack. The speed and athleticism would be excessive as well. Consider how difficult it would be for a team like France to stop a player like Westbrook, LeBron, Durant, Leonard, or Williamson on a drive.
Overall, this is an ideal team since they are living our fantasies. We could have seen some of these players on the current Olympic squad if injuries and COVID-19 had not disrupted the 2020-2021 season. We lost out on seeing some of the finest athletes in the nation compete. Hopefully, the present USA does not go home empty-handed.
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