With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games starting in less than 10 days, we cannot be more excited for the basketball event to begin. As only 12 teams secured a place to compete in the games, there is a lot of talent and high level overall in the three groups.
It is undeniable that Team USA is, at least on paper, one of the best teams in history in terms of talent, accolades, statistics, and overall career performances. Is this team comparable to the mighty 1992 “Dream Team”? Will they achieve the same as that team did?
Present and Past Accolades
First and foremost, as mentioned before, this roster is definitely comparable to the 1992 Olympics men’s basketball team. In terms of total accolades, this team boasts 8x NBA MVPs, 63x NBA All-Star appearances, six different NBA Champions, and literally the best generational talents in basketball of this time.
Current Roster: Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns) LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics), Derrick White (Boston Celtics) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).
Even if they have only played two games in preparation for the Olympics, we have seen this greatness on display, with players improving chemistry as days go by. However, in these two games, their dominance could have been better, only defeating Australia by a six-point margin, and Canada by a sixteen-point margin. While not as flashy, they are victories, nonetheless. However, Olympic US rosters are known for having a quite high win margin, The best ones being in 1992 and 2012, with a 44-point and 32-point win margin per game, respectively.
Did Other National Teams Get Better?
Of course, we will have to consider the fact that the gap between nations in terms of Olympic basketball has definitely shortened throughout the years. This is visible in the NBA as well, with international players winning the MVP for the last 6 years straight. We may never be able to see such a dominant level of superiority from a national basketball team over others. This time, rosters such as Canada, Australia, France, Lithuania, and even Spain have remarkable talents and versatile players who can put up with the challenge and compete against the USA.
All in all, any outcome other than the gold medal will be considered a failure for this USA Basketball Team, so they are in dire need of winning every single game to live up to the expectations. We are all looking forward to seeing this legendary team at full capacity. Will they fulfill their objective?
text sources: nba.com, USA Basketball
