2024 Paris Olympics: Projecting Team USA’s 12-man roster with Joel Embiid joining LeBron James, Stephen Curry

Team USA’s roster on the 2024 Olympic Games may well be its best possible in a long time. Joel Embiid dedicated on Thursday to play for the United States, joining a constellation of stars who’ve pledged to take part. If everyone remains wholesome and sticks to his phrase, then this iteration will, just like the 1992 Dream Team, honor the most efficient gamers of a era and have a number of superstars in or drawing near their respective primes.

Before projecting the 12-man roster, here is a (lengthy) record of different gamers who need in:

• Stephen Curry (“It’s the one thing I haven’t done,” he said at media day. “And I also understand the opportunity for Team USA to kind of reassert yourself as dominant in the world and all that type of stuff, so I definitely want to be there, definitely want to be on the team, and hopefully things line up that way where we’re all there.”)
• Kevin Durant (“I will play in the Olympics next year,” he said at media day.)
• Devin Booker (“I’ll do it,” he said at media day.)
• Bradley Beal (“Yes, sir, 100%,” he said at media day.)
• LeBron James (“From the players that we have here that I can think of off the top of my head that can fill that roster up, I don’t think it’ll be too much of a physical toll,” he said at media day. “I wouldn’t have to do much. I mean, rebound a little bit, pass a little bit, defend, block some shots.”)
• Anthony Davis (“Bron asked me last year, and I told him, if they ask me, I’m in,” he informed Spectrum SportsNet at media day (9:45 mark here). “I mean, I only did it once, really, and I didn’t really — you know, that’s when Bron, Kobe, CP, Melo — I was sitting on the bench. I was 19 years old. So if they ask, I’m definitely in.”)
• Kawhi Leonard (“Yeah, I wanted to play this summer, but I had other obligations and I would’ve had to leave early, so I wasn’t able to go,” he said at media day. “So we’ll see what happens.”)
• Paul George (“It all depends on how well we do and how far we go this season,” he said at media day. “That will play a lot into my decision on going and playing over in France. I would love to. I know Bron is in the forefront of creating a hell of a roster, but that’s first and foremost on how my body is, how my health is to finish this season.”)
• Jayson Tatum (He told The Messenger’s Jeff Goodman at media day that he intends to play in Paris.)
• Jaylen Brown (“Playing in USA Basketball, I think there’s no greater honor,” he said at media day. “I think playing for your country is definitely — coming from my community, coming from where I come from, coming from where the majority of our demographic come from, having the opportunity to represent that, your community, your outer community and the people that support you, I think that is a part of it as well, so being able to participate would be great.”)
• Bam Adebayo (He has already dedicated, per the Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds. Erik Spoelstra, an assistant trainer for Team USA, mentioned USA Basketball thought to be it a “must” to have Adebayo at the roster, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.)
• Draymond Green (The Athletic reported in September that he used to be ready to devote.)
• Khris Middleton (“I would for sure play,” he said at media day.)
• Brook Lopez (“I’d love to do that,” he said at media day. “It’s something I always dreamed of experiencing since I was a little kid. I’m absolutely for it. I asked Steve Kerr while I was subbing into a game last year — I didn’t ask, I told him I was free this coming summer of ’24, so hopefully this will help remind him.”
• DeMar DeRozan (“If I’m asked to do it, I definitely, definitely would do it,” he said at media day.)
• Zach LaVine (“You can’t turn down opportunities like that,” he said at media day.)
• Fred VanVleet (“I would love to,” he said at media day. “There was some interest this summer, so I was in contact with them. Just didn’t line up with what I had in my personal life this summer, so I couldn’t make the commitment, but I would definitely love to be a part of Team USA.)
• Aaron Gordon (“If I’ve the chance to play in Paris, that may be superb, and I would really like that and experience that chance,” he said at media day.)
• Kyle Kuzma (“I would really like to, if I were given the invitation, evidently,” he said at media day.)
• Donovan Mitchell (He has indicated he’s going to play if requested, per the Associated Press.)
• Julius Randle (He has indicated he’s going to play if requested, per the Associated Press.)

Also of observe:

• Damian Lillard, De’Aaron Fox and Kyrie Irving have critical hobby in committing, The Athletic reported in September. At media day, alternatively, Fox said, “I’m making an attempt to consider a pleasant strategy to put this. Right now, on this very second, I in point of fact do not care what is going on with Team USA, that isn’t on my thoughts in any respect. In the longer term, it would trade, however as of at this time, I’m no longer desirous about it.”
• The Athletic also reported that Desmond Bane is in the mix, and would have been on the World Cup roster had he not needed to have surgery on his foot. 
• Jimmy Butler, asked at media day, if he’d play for Team USA again, said simply, “Who is aware of?”
• Trae Young said at media day that he felt disrespected because he wasn’t offered a spot on the World Cup team this past summer.
• Zion Williamson at media day: “If Team USA sought after me, that is an enormous honor. But that may be one thing that I’ve to take into consideration when the time comes and if the chance is gifted to me.”
• Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges and Tyrese Haliburton most probably earned themselves attention for Paris with their play on the World Cup. Also on that group: Jaren Jackson Jr., Austin Reaves, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Cam Johnson, Bobby Portis, Walker Kessler and Brandon Ingram.
• Cade Cunningham, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams had been a number of the gamers at the Select Team this previous summer season.
• These names have not been rumored, however: Ja Morant, Los angelesMelo Ball and Darius Garland are American. So are James Harden, Klay Thompson and Chris Paul.

So, who makes the lower?

For the needs of this workout, shall we say everyone discussed above is wholesome and keen to play, so USA Basketball can successfully have any one it desires. What would possibly this loaded 12-man roster seem like?

We can get started through together with the reported ringleader and all of the large names he has recruited: James, Curry, Durant, Green, Tatum, Davis, Booker. That’s seven spots long past already.

Embiid is clearly a lock, and Adebayo is reportedly a executed deal. That’s 9.

If Leonard is in point of fact on board, you do not flip him down. Ten.

Lillard wasn’t specifically nice for the Tokyo Games in 2021, however he used to be harm. Time for him to make up for that. Eleven.

Want some other guard? I may just simply see Irving getting the nod. He or Morant will be the strategy to move if you are searching for famous person energy, however Edwards has extra measurement and would give the group a connection to the crowd that confirmed up this summer season. From a team-building point of view, VanVleet would make sense, too, given his talent to give a contribution with out getting many touches.

Want some other large? Jackson is most definitely the following guy up, and Lopez is some other, bulkier choice. Holmgren may just play the position Davis performed in 2012.

Judging through the best way USA Basketball has built its rosters prior to, regardless that, I think it’ll lean into their largest benefits: Length, athleticism and defensive versatility. Bridges can be a completely easiest have compatibility, however, if George desires to take part, I feel the vet is getting the invite.

So what would this seem like? Who begins?

Ha! Does it even topic? Kerr may just use Curry as a 6th guy if he desires to. He may just get started the 5 large wings (James, George, Tatum, Leonard and Durant) and turn the whole thing. The probabilities are unending.

But this is one hypothetical glance:

• Starters: Curry, Booker, Durant, James, Embiid
• Reserves: Lillard, George, Leonard, Tatum, Green, Davis, Adebayo 

I would possibly move with one of the most Clippers over Booker to be able to make the protection as intimidating as conceivable. The protection will have to be beautiful superior regardless, regardless that, for the reason that no one has to fret about taking part in heavy mins or wearing a huge load on offense.

If the real roster finally ends up comparable to this one, do not be stunned if Kerr experiments with the rotation all through the match and benches any person you do not be expecting. If Booker, for instance, finally ends up on the second one unit, it could be for the reason that training body of workers desires him to play the bench-scorer position that Dwyane Wade performed (and Edwards did not) for Team USA.