The Washington Post - 06.08.2019

D10 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, AUGUST 6 , 2019

for most of the past 13 years, the

World Cup will be a test of

American depth. But beyond that,

there’s the larger question of what

motivates the overall talent pool.

You have to wonder whether the

stars have it too good right now.

With the introduction of the NBA’s

supermax contract, they’re eligible

to make ridiculous money, and

even without a supermax deal,

franchise players make more than

$30 million per season. Unlike

after the 2004 Olympics failure, the

quality of American basketball isn’t

on trial anymore. The NBA style of

play is entertaining again, and after

the flurry of moves this offseason,

parity may exist again, too.

There’s a thought that many

stars declined Team USA

invitations to focus on what could

be an epic 2019-20 season. It also

didn’t help that the World Cup

was pushed back a year, meaning

aspiring 2020 Olympians would

have to commit consecutive

summers to the team, and that’s a

huge problem in this era of load

management. The tournament

also ends in mid-September, just

two weeks before the start of NBA

training camps.

Colangelo and Coach K had

done a good job of getting players

to believe in the system and to

understand that their

commitment required more than

interest in competing during an

Olympic year. But if the U.S.

squad goes to China and wins the

World Cup, would it cut a bunch

of players on this year’s team to

accommodate bigger stars if they

want in on the 2020 Tokyo

Games?

When the U.S. team had

something to prove, participation

wasn’t a problem. But where does

the urgency come from now?

It’s not a big deal when Davis,

during a summer in which he was

traded, decides to save himself for

his new team. When Julius

Randle and Tobias Harris have

better things to do, you grow

concerned about both priorities

and the effects of so much NBA

player movement. As New

Orleans guard JJ Redick cited in

turning down the opportunity, he

has to get his family settled in a

new city.

No matter how Team USA fares

in China, a solid system is being

forced to adapt. If the NBA must

adjust to the whims of its

greatest, power-seeking players,

so, too, must Team USA. It was

inevitable. You can only hope the

stars are motivated to find a

greater purpose during such a

privileged time.

[email protected]

For more by Jerry Brewer, visit

washingtonpost.com/brewer.

enjoyed a decade of mostly ideal

commitment. Mike Krzyzewski

went 88-1 as the coach during this

span, with the lone loss coming to

Greece in the semifinals of the

2006 world championships. Until

the 2016 Olympics, the greatest

players wanted to participate as

much as possible, and there was a

considerable waiting list of stars

who couldn’t make the team but

remained interested. Summer

minicamps were highly attended

events. The program was stronger

than ever. The team was the

hardest in the world to make.

While it’s laughable now to

look at the 2016 Olympic team

and consider it lackluster, that

reaction was a testament to the

commitment. Remember that the

2008 Olympic squad was referred

to as the Redeem Team after the

U.S. squad had failed to win gold

in three straight major events

(the 2002 world championships,

2004 Olympics and 2006 world

championships). That

redemptive spirit continued for

several years, and typical

American dominance followed.

But three years ago, the

momentum started to fade.

Concerns about Zika virus kept

some players away from the 2016

Olympics. Some were too tired or

banged up. Others were getting

too old. Four first-team all-NBA

selections didn’t go to Rio:

LeBron James, Stephen Curry,

Russell Westbrook and Kawhi

Leonard. In addition, Olympic

veteran Chris Paul didn’t play.

Carmelo Anthony was still around

from the Redeem Team, and

Durant was playing in his second

Olympics. But there had been a

shift, and it was an uneasy feeling.

The U.S. squad went

undefeated and beat Serbia by 30

in the gold medal game. However,

with 10 new players, the

tournament was a struggle until

the team came together at the

end. Three years ago, Colangelo

noted the difficulty.

“With 10 new people, you only

have them for a few weeks; it’s not

enough time,” he said. “For me,

I’m glad we’re past this. It’s

vindication for all that we’ve

done. But we need to continue

with continuity. We can’t go back

again with 10 new players. That’s

not going to happen.”

For this World Cup, they have

10 new players. And it took more

than 40 invitations to put this

team together.

“Honestly, I don’t have any

angst,” Colangelo said as training

camp for the World Cup began.

Colangelo knows not to focus

on who is absent. It’s unfair to the

players who will compete. But

after the United States had an

easier time managing the roster

“Is this the best we can do?”

version of Team USA: Kevin

Durant, Kyrie Irving, Paul George,

Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler.

You know, the same guys who

helped change the NBA during

this landmark offseason.

If that was a B or C team, let’s

just skip assigning a letter grade

for the current FIBA World Cup

roster. This figures to be the least

accomplished collection of NBA

players the United States has sent

to a major international

competition since before the

Dream Team debuted in 1992.

The 2019 World Cup team has

convened in Las Vegas this week

to start preparing for the

tournament later this month. For

the casual basketball fan, it’s a

“Who’s that?” list of emerging

stars and role players. Kyle

Lowry, Kemba Walker and Khris

Middleton are the only reigning

all-stars available. Harrison

Barnes and Lowry (if he is cleared

to play following thumb surgery)

are the only holdovers from the

2016 Olympic team. It was once

thought the team could include

significant star power, but a long

list of healthy stars seemingly in

line to lead the team dropped out,

including James Harden,

Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard,

Kevin Love, Bradley Beal and CJ

McCollum.

You have to be careful about

characterizing both this roster

and the overall state of USA

Basketball. Since the back-to-

back disappointments of a sixth-

place finish in the 2002 world

championships and a bronze

medal at the 2004 Olympics, the

U.S. squad has a much better

system for team selection and

player engagement. So while the

2019 roster lacks superstars on

top, it does possess a thoughtful

collection of the kind of talent

and versatility that suit

international competition. Gregg

Popovich, a great team builder, is

the right fit to coach this group

because he will combine a clear

and demanding standard with a

clever and flexible style of play.

We’re not accustomed to a true

team representing the United

States. Normally, the standard is

for all-stars to come together and

sacrifice just enough for their

overwhelming talent to take over.

But this time, the whole truly

must be greater than the sum of

its parts.

There are some valid larger

concerns, however. Most

importantly, where are the heads

of the biggest American stars? Is

this a coincidental one-year issue

or the start of a trend?

From 2006 to 2016, Team USA

BREWER FROM D1

JERRY BREWER

As NBA changes, this team must as well

BY BEN GOLLIVER

las vegas — The last time USA
Basketball ventured overseas to
compete in the FIBA World Cup,
in 2014, Mike Krzyzewski had an
embarrassment of riches at his
disposal.
Virtually everyone on the ros-
ter was a former lottery pick,
including No. 1 selections Kyrie
Irving, Anthony Davis and Der-
rick Rose. Coach K trotted out two
future MVPs — Stephen Curry
and James Harden — and future
all-stars at all five positions. That
group thrashed the competition
in Spain, going 9-0 and winning
by an average of 33 points.
The state of the program is
quite different with the 2019
World Cup in China approaching:
Gregg Popovich has replaced
Krzyzewski, and many stars have
elected to sit out following a busy
summer free agency period and
with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on
the horizon.
For the first time in more than a
decade, a major international
basketball tournament will be
held in which the marquee talents
— Greece’s Giannis Antetokoun-
mpo and Serbia’s Nikola Jokic —
are not American.
While USA Basketball is work-
ing through a coaching change
and stuck fielding a B team, it
remains the heavy favorite to win
gold. Its chief advantage will be
its depth: Popovich’s roster might
not include the World Cup’s top
individual talents, but he will still
have a dozen proven NBA players,
including multiple budding stars.
With training camp beginning
here this week, this is an early
12-man roster projection. Pop-
ovich’s final picks will be made
before USA Basketball heads on
an overseas tour this month.

Point guard: Kemba Walker,
Kyle Lowry, De’Aaron Fox

Walker, who has spent most of
his career toiling for the lowly

Charlotte Hornets, is quickly

shedding his reputation as a for-

gotten man. After a splashy move

to the Boston Celtics last month,

the 29-year-old all-star pencils in

as the Americans’ lead scoring

playmaker. Throughout the past

decade, USA Basketball has used

high-level shooters at point guard

to maximize space in the half

court. Walker should naturally

carry on that tradition.

Lowry won gold at the 2016 Rio

Olympics, but his status is in

question after recent surgery on

his thumb.

If Lowry withdraws, Popovich

could carry both Fox, an electric

speed demon who will open camp

on USA’s younger “Select team,”

and Marcus Smart, a hard-nosed

defensive specialist. If Lowry

heals, Popovich will face a tough-

er choice.

Shooting guard: Donovan

Mitchell, Jaylen Brown

USA Basketball Managing Di-

rector Jerry Colangelo is hoping

for breakthroughs from multiple

rising stars, and Mitchell and

Brown are good candidates to

deliver. Mitchell has lots of reps

serving as a lead offensive option

in Utah, including during two

playoff runs, while Brown is ex-

actly the type of two-way, multi-

positional athlete who has long

thrived in USA Basketball’s sys-

tem.

Small forward: Khris

Middleton, Jayson Tatum

Middleton, long one of the

NBA’s most underrated players, is

on a stellar run: He made his first

all-star team in February, he

played in his first conference fi-

nals in May, he earned his first

max contract in July, and he could

claim his first gold medal in Sep-

tember. Best deployed as a sec-

ondary scorer, he has three-point

range and plus defense that

should earn him plenty of min-

utes.

Tatum might be the most fasci-

nating player to watch in China.

Debates over his style on offense

have raged in recent months, with

critics hoping to see quicker deci-

sions and more aggressive drives

to the hoop rather than ball-

pounding and contested long

twos. Against FIBA competition,

he should have the space, the

opportunity and the talent to

counter the nitpicking.

Power forward: Kyle Kuzma,

P.J. Tucker, Harrison Barnes

Power forward might be the

toughest to nail down: Kuzma is

arguably the biggest name,

Barnes has USA Basketball equity

because he won gold at the 2016

Olympics, Tucker is a quintessen-

tial glue guy, and Thaddeus Young

is a savvy, skilled vet who could

also log minutes as an undersized

center.

USA Basketball has long had an

affinity for unselfish vets such as

Tayshaun Prince and Andre Ig-

uodala, and Tucker is the obvious

candidate to follow in their foot-

steps. The Houston Rockets for-

ward is fully content to forsake his

own offense in favor of rebound-

ing, defending multiple positions

and playing with constant energy.

Although Barnes continues to

work his way through an unspec-

tacular career, it would be sur-

prising if USA Basketball cut him

after including him on the Rio

roster. On paper, his spot-up

three-point shooting and defen-

sive versatility make him a decent

fit with the rest of this group.

Kuzma’s ability to create a shot

and score in bunches set him

apart from USA Basketball’s other

frontcourt options.

Center: Myles Turner,

Brook Lopez

Turner, a high-level shot-block-

er with good mobility, has a real

chance to enhance his reputation

with a strong tournament. The

23-year-old Indiana Pacers center

began to gain some attention last

season, when he finished fifth in

defensive player of the year vot-

ing, but he’s just getting started.

The lumbering Lopez will need

to prove he’s a stylistic fit with

USA Basketball, which has tend-

ed to run opponents off the court

with pace and pressure. His sheer

size and interior defense could be

helpful against players such as

Jokic and Rudy Gobert, though,

and his shooting would allow

USA Basketball to play deadly

lineups sporting outside threats

at all five positions.

Given its need to defend tradi-

tional centers, it’s possible that

USA Basketball elects to bring a

third center, such as Denver’s Ma-

son Plumlee. Remember: Inter-

national rules only allow for five

fouls, rather than the NBA’s limit

of six.

[email protected]

ANALYSIS

U.S. roster might be unspectacular, but it should be deep

STEVEN SENNE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown could be part of a young USA Basketball squad at the FIBA World Cup.

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