Mike Krzyzewski, the head coach of the US team, hasn’t still officially announced the names of the 12 players, who will be part of the American team at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. However, the list is going to be announced very soon, but we already know who will be picked in the squad for the biggest international basketball tournament.
To continue with, you all know that there are lots of big names, who are going to be absent for the competition. Chris Paul, Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard are all injured and can’t be included in the squad. Some other key players have decided to take a break after the long season in the NBA. So, Stephen Curry has decided to refuse the invitation for the national team. The other players, who are going to miss the Olympics are LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Andre Iguodala and Kawhi Leonard.
So, we can say that maybe the best US players are going to watch the games from their couches. But, there are lots of very good basketball players, who can replace them. They should be glad with the opportunity to play for the most successful nation at the Summer Olympics.
Taking a look back in the history, we can see that the US team has won the basketball tournament on 14 occasions (of 18). They have also recorded a silver medal and two bronze medals. So, the pressure is on for the American players.
Here is the squad: Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Paul George (Indiana Pacers), Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls), DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers), Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors).
We can see that the called players are also good enough, but the question is: “Can they win the title again?”. After Kobe Bryant retired from professional basketball, the American head coach tried to bring him back in the national team for one last tournament, but the star refused to take part in the Olympics. However, we are looking forward to seeing what is going to happen in Rio!