After shockingly failing to medal during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA has lots of questions to answer before the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
One of the reasons why Team USA struggled to even earn a bronze medal was due to a lack of size in the frontcourt. They struggled on the defensive end of the floor and had a massive deficiency when it came to rebounding the ball.
This is a team that will need legitimate big men in order to compete with tough international talent in the post such as Serbia’s Nikola Jokic as well as France’s Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr was asked about what changes may come before the Olympics and he mentioned that the team needed to have very specific intentions when it came to the types of big men they would target for the roster (via The Athletic):
“I think it’s a worthwhile point of discussion, but the discussion has to go to, ‘OK, then who is that?” […] “You can’t just say, we’re going to have size for size’s sake. You have to have players who are going to help you win, and you have to determine who those guys are. It’s not just the size, it’s the way the game is played. […] But I don’t think it’s as simple as saying it’s just size. I think you have to examine who you’re talking about if you go down that path.”
Of course, the first name that comes to mind is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. He could join the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped lead Team USA to win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta after he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
The six-time All-Star is an international free agent who is eligible to play for Team Cameroon (after they clinched a spot to compete in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament) as well as Team France and Team USA.
Team USA managing director Grant Hill said Embiid “knows our desire” to have him on the team. According to Brian Windhorst, however, it’s too early to assume that the league’s reigning MVP will decide to actually suit up for the Americans at the 2024 Olympics in Paris (via ESPN):
“Team USA has done some recruiting of Joel Embiid, who holds both United States and French citizenship, but the Philadelphia 76ers star has thus far been noncommittal.”
So if Team USA is not able to successfully recruit Embiid, here are the other top options that they could consider:
1
Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis, who is reportedly already in contact with LeBron James about playing for Team USA, is the No. 1 priority for this roster. Davis hasn’t played for Team USA in nearly a decade but won a gold medal with James at the Olympics in 2012 and gold alongside Stephen Curry at the World Cup in 2014. The big man led all NBA players in the regular season and postseason for rebounds per game.
Team USA finished just 4.1 percent of possessions finding the roll man after ball screens on offense, according to Synergy. That was the second-lowest among all teams that made it to the second round of the tournament. The eight-time All-Star would provide a new option in the toolbox as he had the most points as the roll man (5.2) of any US-born NBA player last season.
Meanwhile, per Synergy, Team USA allowed the fifth-most points via offensive rebound putbacks (6.8 ppg) of any team in the tournament while also allowing more than any other team that advanced to the second round. The Lakers allowed 7.2 fewer points per 100 possessions on putbacks when Davis was on the court relative to when he was not, via Cleaning The Glass, which was the most in the NBA (minimum: 1,000 minutes) last season.
2
Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo, who helped lead Team USA to win a gold medal during the Tokyo Olympics, is “widely considered a strong candidate” to play in Paris. Adebayo is one of the best defenders in the league, earning All-Defensive honors four seasons in a row, and he brings unique versatility to both sides of the ball whenever he is on the court.
Team USA didn’t rely much on the pick-and-roll in the Steve Kerr-led offense. Adebayo, however, finished with the most points as the roll man among all NBA players except for just Joel Embiid last season. On the other end of the floor, one of the problems with Jaren Jackson Jr. during the FIBA World Cup was that he had trouble staying on the court due to foul trouble. Adebayo, via Cleaning the Glass, ranked in the 92nd percentile among big men for foul percentage last season.
3
Draymond Green
Draymond Green is reportedly “prepared to commit” to play for Team USA during the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Although he isn’t exactly a traditional big man and may have a legitimate size disadvantage when playing against some of the more physical FIBA centers, no player on the planet is more suited to play under head coach Steve Kerr than Green. He fits well in the small-ball lineups that Kerr clearly prefers to run on the court. His experience matters.
Green is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who will bring an intensity and competitive tenacity to the floor whenever he plays. The former Defensive Player of the Year also has a fantastic connection on the offensive end of the floor with Stephen Curry, who is rumored to have serious interest in joining the team as well. He also maintained the highest assist-to-usage rate among all NBA players last season, per Cleaning the Glass.
4
Evan Mobley
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, who was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year last season, already has two gold medals during Under-16 and Under-17 tournaments for Team USA. ESPN senior writer Kevin Pelton recently described Mobley as “USA’s center of the future” after Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled at the World Cup. According to league insider Marc Stein, however, the Bahamas “could explore the availability” of landing Mobley after they clinched a spot in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
If he accepts an invitation to play for Team USA he would have obvious value. USA also allowed 36.5 points per game against jump shots, per Synergy, which was the sixth-worst in the tournament and the second-worst among teams that advanced to the second round. Mobley led the league in total contested 3-pointers (281) last season and can comfortably guard the perimeter and the interior.
On the offensive end of the floor, per Synergy, Team USA scored just 7.4 points per game when cutting to the basket. That ranked third-worst among teams that advanced to the knockout games during the tournament. Mobley, meanwhile, averaged 4.7 ppg on these possessions for the Cavaliers last season. That ranked second-best among all US-born players and would help provide a new way of scoring for Team USA.
5
Kevon Looney
You are probably surprised to see Kevon Looney so high on this list. But as noted by Sam Quinn, he is a really good fit (via CBS Sports):
“Don’t rule out Kevon Looney as a front-court sleeper. Yes, it sounds crazy, but if rebounding is Team USA’s biggest weakness, it should be noted that Looney had the highest rebounding rate in the NBA last season among qualifying Americans. He’s a limited player, but he’ll hold his own on the glass against anyone, and there’s a rich history of non-stars making and even contributing to gold medal teams.”
Team USA averaged 9.9 offensive rebounds per game, which ranked as the third-worst among all of the teams that advanced to the knockout round of the tournament. Looney, meanwhile, led the league in offensive rebounds (335) last season.
His low usage rate, which ranked in just the 10th percentile among big men last season according to Cleaning the Glass, is actually an advantage for this roster. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to make a difference, and that is quite necessary for a team potentially already filled with star power.
6
Mitchell Robinson
ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon recently mentioned Mitchell Robinson as an under-the-radar candidate for Team USA. MacMahon mentioned rebounding and rim protection as the two primary assets for Robinson, who joined Team USA for training camp before the FIBA World Cup in 2019. Perhaps we take Robinson a bit more seriously as someone who would make a lot of sense in the frontcourt.
During the 2023 FIBA World Cup, for example, Team USA averaged just 9.9 offensive rebounds per game. That ranked as the third-worst among all teams that advanced to at least the knockout round of the tournament. Robinson can immediately help as he joined Looney as the only player with more than 300 offensive rebounds last season, per PBPStats. Meanwhile, over the past three seasons, Robinson is the only NBA player to average more than 8.0 offensive rebounds per 100 possessions. He would play a simple but necessary role for Team USA.
7
Onyeka Okongwu
Onyeka Okongwu is a fascinating candidate for Team USA. No team in the tournament allowed more points against post-up possessions (9.4 ppg) than Team USA, per Synergy. But opponents scored 0.708 points per possession when Okongwu defended these possessions last season and that ranked as the best mark among true big men who had at least as many opportunities in the NBA last season.
Okongwu also held his opponents to a low 3-point percentage when he was credited as the nearest defender, per NBA.com. Meanwhile, opposing teams shot 3.2 percentage points worse from beyond the arc when Okongwu was on the floor relative to when he was not. According to Cleaning The Glass, that ranked in the 89th percentile among all big men. While not mentioned often, he is exactly the type of defender that could provide value for Team USA.
8
Jalen Duren
Jalen Duren represented Team USA during the FIBA Americas U-16 Championships and his team won the gold medal. He earned all-tournament honors and this summer, he was invited back to join the Team USA Select Team before the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They topped Team USA during two scrimmages before the tournament began.
During the World Cup, meanwhile, Team USA averaged 9.9 offensive rebounds per game. That ranked as the third-worst among all of the teams that advanced to the knockout round of the tournament. Meanwhile, per Cleaning the Glass, the percentage of the Pistons’ missed field goals that Duren was able to rebound (13.4 percent) last season ranked 92nd percentile. Additionally, even as a young rookie, he led all US-born players in offensive rebounds after free throws (11) as well.
9
Nic Claxton
Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton is one of the NBA’s rising stars on the defense. His Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (2.1) ranked in the 97th percentile last year, per DunksandThrees.com. Meanwhile, according to Cleaning the Glass, his block percentage ranked in the 98th percentile among bigs.
During the 2023 FIBA World Cup, per Synergy, Team USA scored just 7.4 points per game when cutting to the basket. That ranked third-worst among teams that advanced to the knockout games during the tournament. Claxton averaged 4.2 ppg on these possessions for the Nets last season, however, and that ranked as the third-best among all US-born players.
10
Chet Holmgren
Although he hasn’t yet played a minute of basketball in the NBA, former No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren already has plenty of valuable experience for Team USA. He helped lead his team to win the gold medal at the U-19 World Cup in 2019 and earned tournament MVP honors in the process. He was also invited back to join the Team USA Select Team before the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They topped Team USA during two scrimmages before the tournament began.
Holmgren is a floor-spacing big man who could help protect the rim and pull down rebounds with his 7-foot-6 wingspan. Two years in a row, the big man has already looked dominant during the NBA Summer League. So long as he is able to stay healthy and impress for the Thunder, he is worth a serious look for Team USA.
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