USA Olympic Basketball Team 2012: Underrated Players Who Will Play Vital Roles

No one on the Team USA's 2012 roster is truly underrated, but with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant representing America at this year's Olympics, there are certainly a few NBA stars that will be relegated to unusually unheralded roles in London. 

Because the bench on this team is comprised of some of the NBA's top talent, the guys providing rest to starters will play extremely vital roles on the United State's road to a consecutive gold medal. 

Andre Iguodala

Iguodala, who was finally awarded for his sound play in Philadelphia with a trip to the All-Star game this season, is the defensive stopper on this year's Team USA. 

At 6'6'' with a massive wingspan and loads of athleticism, the 76ers star will be called upon to slow down opposing team's secondary and sometimes primary scorer in this year's Olympiad. 

Though he's not deadly from the outside, he's tremendous slashing to the hoop and is as good as anyone on the roster at finishing around the rim. 

He played a little over 15 minutes in USA's exhibition win over Brazil on Monday and scored five points while snagging five rebounds. 

Iguodala is a jack of all trades and will be utilized on many occasions by Coach K in London. 

Deron Williams

Chris Paul put on a masterful, 10-point, four-steal, four-rebound, three-assist performance in 22 minutes of game action as Team USA's go-to point guard against Brazil. 

Though Paul's impressive play cannot be dismissed, hybrid guard Deron Williams can't be looked over, either. 

At 6'3'', Williams adds more height to Team USA's backcourt, and is able to get off his shot whenever he pleases. 

Though teammate Russell Westbrook is more vertically explosive, Williams knows he's a point guard first and is a much better facilitator. 

Paul's a great floor general, and will be spelled by a versatile maestro in Deron Williams during these Olympics. 

Kevin Love

Love only logged 5:35 seconds of time on the floor against Brazil, but that doesn't mean he'll be used sparingly when the games actually count. 

The one knock on this year's United States team is its lack of height and pure rebounding prowess. The 7'1'' Tyson Chandler is the lone center on the team, the American's will face a variety of opponents with gigantic front courts. 

That's where Love comes in. 

At 6'10'' the multi-faceted Love can knock down three-pointers, but is an absolute monster on the boards. He averaged 13.3 rebounds per game this past season, and had 17 games with more than 15 rebounds. 

Expect Love to play a vital role on the glass and get Team USA many second-chance opportunities.