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The members of Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympics to be held in Paris, France have been decided.
It was reported on Monday that LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis would be joining the team, but on Tuesday… Reports have surfaced that Kawhi Leonard will be the 12th and final member of the team. Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo, Tyrese Haliburton — it’s a star-studded lineup.
That group is loaded. That’s not to say there weren’t potential snubs.
Jalen Brunson averaged 28.7 points and 6.7 assists for the second-seeded New York Knicks, is on track to be named All-NBA, and has already been named an All-Star. One might wonder why Holiday or the even younger Haliburton was chosen over him.
The answer is probably that Holiday is a defensive specialist who brings balance to a team full of scorers, while Haliburton is an overall better playmaker and also brings balance.
Kyrie Irving was probably despised for the same reason. He had a strong season with the rapidly rising Dallas Mavericks, averaging 25.2 points and 5.2 assists, but the uniqueness of Holiday and Haliburton may have made him a better fit from a team-building standpoint.
Paul George, one of the game’s better two-way wings, emerges as the only other significant ignorer. But who would you take off this roster to bring him on board?
His teammate Leonard is a better overall player when healthy. The same goes for Team USA mainstays like James and Durant. Players like Tatum (26.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG), Edwards (25.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG), and Booker (27.1 PPG, 6.9 APG) had better statistical seasons than George (22.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG). I was there. When analyzing American wingers, it’s hard to argue with the selection.
This is a very talented and surprisingly well-rounded group of players. If this group plays unselfishly and is willing to accept the role Steve Kerr has built for them, no one in the world can beat them.
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