Top Players to Consider for Team USA’s 2024 Olympic Roster: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum Stand Out – Hot

Team USA has dominated Olympic basketball, winning four consecutive gold medals dating back to the 2008 event in Beijing. It’s easy to see why when putting together a dream roster for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. There is a wealth of talent to choose from. Making cuts is going to be tough.

There are only 12 spots to go around. Generally, one of those spots goes to a young prospect. (Keldon Johnson got it in 2020.) In order to make it easier, that spot is excluded from the list below.

Some of these players will likely decline invitations to play. Let’s put that aside for now — to make it interesting, here is the best possible roster that Team USA could field.

MORE: Which basketball teams have qualified for Paris 2024 Olympics?

Who should be on Team USA’s roster for 2024 Olympics?

Guards

This team is going to have a lot of offensive firepower, so it’s important to have players that can stretch the floor with shooting when they don’t have the ball in their hands. There’s also more zone in international play because of the removal of illegal defense rules, so the ability to shoot over zones becomes even more important.

That shooting necessity led to omissions for talented young players like Ja Morant and De’Aaron Fox and boosted some of the other names on this list. Here are the four guards that made the cut.

Stephen Curry

Curry has achieved every single individual and team accomplishment in his career except for one — he’s never played at the Olympics and earned a gold medal. Could he pair up with Steve Kerr to win one for his country?

Curry’s inclusion on this roster is a no-brainer. He’s the best shooter in the world, and his style would translate to any league.

Damian Lillard

Lillard is coming off his best offensive season ever, averaging 32.2 points and 7.3 assists for the Trail Blazers. He and Curry are the best deep 3-point shooting threats in the league. It would be fun seeing them take turns bombing away from 30 feet.

Lillard also doesn’t get enough credit for his passing skills. He’s a great facilitator that can still get downhill to collapse defenses.

Anthony Edwards

Edwards earned a spot on this team through his stellar play at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He was the best player on that team, showing a propensity to take over games with his shot creation.

He’s also become a fantastic point of attack defender, although he still has some lapses off the ball.

Devin Booker

Booker is an improved defender and one of the best shot makers in the league. He has Olympic experience, helping Team USA win the gold medal in Tokyo.

Apologies to: Ja Morant, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, Zach LaVine, Tyrese Haliburton, Austin Reaves, Trae Young, De’Aaron Fox, Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Bradley Beal

Forwards

Forward was the hardest spot to select on this roster. Jimmy Butler was probably the toughest overall omission. But as with the guard spots, shooting is at a premium on this roster, so Butler gets the first axe.

The players selected are proven winners with high feel.

Kevin Durant

Durant is still one of the top five players in the NBA. His length would be a huge asset on this team given the size problems that Team USA encountered in international play during the FIBA World Cup.

LeBron James

At age 39, James would be the elder statesman of the group. After playing in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics and winning two gold medals in the process, he’s passed on the last two cycles.

This team could use his leadership and passing. He’s a long shot to accept an invite, but a return is possible.

Jayson Tatum

Tatum already won a gold medal in Tokyo, but it was during the COVID pandemic. He’s said that he wants to play again to get the full Olympic experience. He’s the type of two-way player that fits in any setting.

Paul George

George, Butler and Kawhi Leonard were in contention for this last forward spot. Ultimately, George gets the nod because of how easy he is to slot into this team.

Kerr likes to utilize switch-heavy schemes, and George’s size allows him to cover multiple positions. He’s a great two-way player that doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective.

Apologies to: Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, Khris Middleton, DeMar DeRozan, Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram

Bigs

If there is a weak spot for Team USA, it’s the lack of elite big men. There’s no Nikola Jokic on this team, but there are some very good players that can serve as defensive anchors.

(Note: Joel Embiid was left off this list because of his dual citizenship status with France and his unlikelihood of playing.)

Anthony Davis

Davis is one of the best defenders in the NBA. He’s capable of switching on the perimeter and completely locking down the paint.

International teams have really struggled with USA bigs who can run the floor well. That’s Kerr’s preferred style of play, so Davis is a perfect fit for this roster.

Draymond Green

If Curry is on this team, then Green needs to make it as well. Those two have the best synergy in the NBA.

And Green is still a great player in his own right. He’s one of the smartest defenders in the world, and he can do the dirty work for this team.

Brook Lopez

Team USA has had real problems with physical bigs. Kerr needs at least one huge body, and Lopez provides that.

He’s a great defender for international play because of how impactful he is when he’s near the rim. Without the defensive three-second rule to worry about, there might not be a better shot blocker to select.

Bam Adebayo

Adebayo gives Team USA a ton of versatility to plug any sort of weaknesses it might have with lineups.

He can play multiple schemes on defense and take a variety of roles on offense, too. He’s a good playmaker for the plethora of offensive threats around him.

Apologies to: Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Robert Williams III, Jaren Jackson Jr., Nic Claxton, Myles Turner