The Paris Olympics brought back the excitement surrounding Team USA’s senior men’s basketball team. Superstars like Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry seemed to lose interest in the USA Basketball program and the team suffered because of it.
In the 2019 and 2023 FIBA World Cups, Team USA failed to medal after winning their fifth FIBA World Cup title in 2015. The Olympic team has fared far better, winning gold in every tournament since 2008. Yet, the star power in 2016 and 2020 paled in comparison to previous years.
Lakers’ LeBron James Names Team USA’s Next Starting Five?
With the trio of James, Durant, and Curry on the back nine of their careers, the NBA isn’t the only one trying to find out who’ll be the face of the next generation. USA Basketball will need to make the same discovery, especially as several are of the NBA’s best players are of foreign origin. What’s more, they have a lot of national pride.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic won’t shuffle off from Serbia. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic won’t defect from Slovenia. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t giving up on Greece. San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama is proud to play for France.
So, who might Team USA be considering as their next group of leaders?
“It’s all about the farm system and continuing to grow the younger generation,” James tells Esquire’s Brian O’Keefe. “And we have so much great talent right now in our league as well. You have Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum; you have Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren, these young guys coming up in the ranks; Cooper Flagg, who’s going to be a big-time player here for Team USA down the road…”
“There’s a lot of great young talent that’s going to want to strive to be an Olympian.”
Obviously, this isn’t an all-inclusive list. It’s unlikely, though possible, that he unveiled Team USA’s starting five for the LA Olympics. Nonetheless, the quintet that he singled out —Minnesota Timberwolves wing Anthony Edwards, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, and Duke forward Cooper Flagg —speak to the way that USA Basketball wants to play.
In fact, it’s the trend that the NBA itself is following.
The LeBron James Effect
Teams are coveting versatility, basketball IQ, and playmaking like never before. Frankly, while this may be considered the Stephen Curry era due to the dramatic rise in the popularity of three-pointers, these are traits popularized by James. He’s ever so slightly lost his step over the past couple of years, and recency bias may even reign supreme when judging the King. However, in his extensive physical prime, he was the rare player who could play excel at every position.
The best and most “complete” player I have seen in my lifetime is @KingJames on and off the floor. He passed the eye test and the numbers confirm what my eyes have seen in every statistical category. #Goat let it be known! pic.twitter.com/wb2iuLoQ4M
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) October 8, 2020
The ‘LeBron James Effect’ has caused many to deem him as the most complete player they’ve seen. A number of his peers, both teammates and competitors, have sought to emulate this ability. James doesn’t have Curry’s jumper or Michael Jordan’s endurance. However, he’s a player who knows not just how to dominate 1-5, but how to be the team’s best scorer, facilitator, and defender.
For the most part, that’s what he has in common with Edwards, Tatum, Banchero, Holmgren, and Flagg. It’s not a coincidence.
