According to a source, Devin Booker and Jrue Holiday are set to join LeBron and Steph on the USA team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The Athletic lists the following players as additional “locks” for the 2024 Olympics: Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jayson Tatum of the Celtics. This presupposes that by July, everyone of these players will be well enough to play. The Sixers anticipate that Embiid, who is presently sidelined due to a knee ailment, will return to the court in late March, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.)
Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves are “under strong consideration,” as The Athletic reports. At the FIBA World Cup last summer, both were members of Team USA.
There will only be three spaces available if the nine players listed above are on the roster. There are plenty of American celebrities who are willing to compete if asked, unlike in certain other international tournaments. Anthony Davis of the Lakers, Bam Adebayo of the Heat, and Paul George and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers have all reportedly committed to playing or stated in the open that they would like to.
The 41 players in the pool from which the final roster will be selected were announced by USA Basketball in January. In addition to the players already listed, it also features Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Heat wing Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, Sacramento Kings guard James Harden, Knicks wing Josh Hart, Heat guard Tyler Herro, and Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, guard Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks, forward Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans, big man Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies, forward Cam Johnson of the Nets, and center Walker of the Utah Jazz Kessler, Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks, Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers, Chris Paul of the Warriors, Bobby Portis of the Bucks, Austin Reaves of the Lakers, Duncan Robinson of the Heat, Derrick White of the Celtics, and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks are all guards.
Even if Holiday, 33, had no prior international experience, he would be a wonderful fit for Team USA. He was selected to the Bucks’ All-Star squad the previous season, but he is currently averaging just 13 points per game, the fewest since his rookie year, although still having a significant influence on the league’s finest team. Holiday complements superstars perfectly since he is an intelligent off-ball offensive player and one of the world’s best (and most adaptable) defenders.
In a same vein, Booker, 27, left an impression on USA Basketball even though he wasn’t the star of the show during his previous national team appearance. Similar to Holiday, he was a standout defensive player who joined the squad just days after participating in the NBA Finals. With the exception of one game, Booker’s point totals in the semifinals were all in the single digits. He scored twenty points against Australia. Despite his season-long average of 27.5 points for the Suns, his ability to be a glue guy was what got him a position in the starting lineup in Tokyo. That’s probably also the reason he’s receiving one of these highly sought-after roster positions.