2016 USA Olympic Basketball Roster: How Much Championship Hardware in this Team? Analyzing How Good They Can Be
Strengths and Weaknesses of the 2016 USA Olympic Basketball Team
Team USA aims to get its third consecutive Olympics gold medal for basketball during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
With stars such as Stephen Curry and LeBron James not playing for Team USA, many experts and regular fans aren't happy with the current lineup, saying that it doesn't go anywhere near Dream Team status.
Other stars that aren't in the USA basketball lineup are Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook.
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Leading this year's Olympic team are Kevin Durant, Paul George, and Olympic veteran Carmelo Anthony.
The roster consists of Jimmy Butler (G), Kevin Durant (F), DeAndre Jordan (C), Kyle Lowry (G), Harrison Barnes (F), DeMar Derozan (G), Kyrie Irving (G), Klay Thompson (G), DeMarcus Cousins (G), Paul George (G), Draymond Green (F), and Carmelo Anthony (F).
Let's look at the strengths and weaknesses of the 2016 USA Basketball Team roster.
The Strengths and the Championship Hardware in This Team
Mike Krzyzewski has everything he needs to win the Olympic gold medal. He has three point shooters, exceptional ball-handlers, perimeter defenders who are relentless and full of energy, and size in the paint.
Like the 2008 and 2012 Olympics roster, the 2016 Olympic Basketball team has 9 All-Stars. It also has two Olympic gold medalists in Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. Four players have NBA championship rings, namely, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving.
While it doesn't have big NBA names, the 2004 NBA Olympics team shows that you can't just put a bunch of NBA stars together and expect to win the gold. You need to come up with a team that fits well in the international brand of play.
Krzyzewski had to dig deep into the NBA pool of talent to form this team, but his team offers versatility, which is much needed in the international style, with players like Barnes, Butler, Green and George. Klay Thompson will provide the three-point threat.
DeRozan, Irving and Lowry will drive to score or pass. Jordan will be the athletic big guy that can block shots, finish at the rim, and even defend outside the paint. Cousins will score and grab rebounds.
Weaknesses
Simply put, this year's roster isn't the best team the USA can offer. Only one from the All-NBA first team is represented (DeAndre Jordan), and none from the top 4 players in last season's MVP race. Westbrook, Paul and Curry are the three best guards in the NBA, but none of them will play for the team. Barnes may be the weakest link in this roster, owing to the fact that he had quite an inconsistent showing during the post-season.
Here's a list of other top players who won't be playing for the team: John Wall, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Anthony Davis, and Andre Drummond.
Having said all these, USA is still the favorites in the upcoming Olympics basketball event. The USA has a basketball team composed of underrated NBA stars who have the desire and the skills to win it all. It will be shocking if they don't bring home the gold.
