Ranking Each Team USA Men's Basketball Player at 2016 Summer Olympics
The USA men's basketball team will kick off its 2016 gold-medal pursuit in Rio de Janeiro on August 6, taking a dozen of the NBA's biggest names into international competition.
Though the list of notable holdouts—LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul—is riddled with megastars, there's still an unreasonable amount of talent among the dozen players who agreed to make the trip.
Rather than just rank these guys based on their 2015-16 NBA performances, we'll organize them in order of predicted impact for Team USA. The international game is different, and both the style and competition level mean the best objective players might not necessarily figure most heavily into the team's success.
Certain skills will matter more, such as raw physicality, which bodes well for DeMarcus Cousins.
In addition, as the U.S. tries to leverage its unmatched versatility on defense, multiskilled forwards such as Draymond Green figure to be major catalysts.
Everybody is good on this roster; that's no great revelation. But some talents will make a greater impact than others.
12. Harrison Barnes
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Team: Dallas Mavericks
Position: SF
Age: 24
2015-16 Statistics: 11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 12.3 PER
Harrison Barnes is a fine, versatile defender who can hit an open three-pointer (unless he's playing in the NBA Finals) and fill his limited role without so much as a wisp of ego. Though his new max contract with the Dallas Mavericks overstates his worth, Barnes is still a valuable player.
But on a roster full of scoring champs, All-NBA first-teamers and marquee names, that modest profile is only good for the last spot in these rankings.
With the lowest scoring average on the squad (based on 2015-16 output) and a player efficiency rating that has never sniffed the league average, Barnes isn't a key piece on the team. His greatest value to the Golden State Warriors last season was his ability to defend power forwards in smaller lineups. Team USA boasts a glut of wings who can do that, and all of those guys—Carmelo Anthony, Jimmy Butler, Paul George and Kevin Durant, to name four—can also do something with the ball on offense.
Being the last man on the bench for an Olympic team is still cool, though.
11. DeMar DeRozan
2 of 12Team: Toronto Raptors
Position: SG
Age: 26
2015-16 Statistics: 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 21.5 PER
DeMar DeRozan is a two-time All-Star who featured heavily on a Toronto Raptors team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals this past season. He's also coming off a career-best campaign that earned him a colossal deal worth over $27 million annually through 2020-21.
Despite all that, DeRozan still checks in near the bottom of these rankings because of a substandard accuracy rate from long range (33.8 percent in 2015-16, 28.3 percent for his career) and an aesthetically rough back-down game that depends on shot fakes and drawn fouls for efficiency.
ESPN's real plus-minus is particularly hard on him, ranking him 159th out of 462 players last year behind an abysmal minus-2.47 figure on defense, which was 77th among 92 qualifying shooting guards.
Every Team USA wing besides Barnes is a better defender than DeRozan, and Butler is the only one whose long-range shooting is similarly suspect.
That said, if DeRozan had finished his 360 dunk attempt against China, we would have had no choice but to set protocol on fire and rank him first.
10. Jimmy Butler
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Team: Chicago Bulls
Position: SG
Age: 26
2015-16 Statistics: 20.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 21.3 PER
Butler understands his place on Team USA, even if it's a little more limited than he's used to.
"I know I'll be guarding, that's for sure," Butler said of his role to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "I don't think anybody's going to have the same role that they had with their individual team in the NBA."
Like just about everyone on the roster, Butler is capable of much more than he'll be asked to do. His ball-handling and decision-making have progressed to the point where he is now a legitimate primary facilitator, and his ability to draw fouls (he shot 7.1 free throws per game in each of his last two seasons) makes him a handful whenever he decides to keep the rock.
Suspect outside shooting and the presence of even more accomplished setup artists mean he's probably right: He'll primarily be a stopper—albeit one who'll thrive in the scattered runouts that result from forced turnovers and blown-up opponents' possessions.
9. Kyle Lowry
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Team: Toronto Raptors
Position: PG
Age: 30
2015-16 Statistics: 21.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 22.2 PER
It's easy to forget with Kyrie Irving hitting title-winning threes and dominating in the postseason, but Kyle Lowry had a better year than his fellow Team USA point guard in 2015-16. The Raptors' 30-year-old star finished 10th in MVP voting, third-highest on the Rio roster after Durant and Draymond Green, while outproducing Irving in most major statistical categories.
Lowry's PER and effective field-goal percentage were higher than Irving's, and his per-game averages in points, assists, rebounds, three-pointers, blocks and steals were all better. Lowry also stayed healthy enough to log 24 more games, too.
Yet Irving looks like the starter at the point, having played with the first unit in two of Team USA's first three exhibitions.
It makes some sense. Irving is a dynamic scorer whose game translates perfectly in a more finesse-based international game. With legions of fantastic defenders alongside him, his weakness on that end also matters less.
Lowry is a bulldog, and he might be the third-best player on this roster, but there's just not as much need for what makes him great here.
8. DeAndre Jordan
5 of 12Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: C
Age: 28
2015-16 Statistics: 12.7 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 20.6 PER
DeAndre Jordan might be the player best equipped to accept a limited role with Team USA, as his duties with the Clippers are similarly specific: defend the rim and roll to the hoop for lobs.
He'll do both comfortably in Olympic competition, and we've already seen flashes of how much more imposing his size and athleticism look against other nations than they do against NBA foes. See above.
Because there's another center on the roster who figures to play a bit more (and also because the U.S. should spend significant time without any conventional 5s on the court), Jordan's impact won't be enormous. He'll make a difference, though, by changing shots and drawing the defense toward the middle on duck-ins against zone looks.
And when the Olympics are done and we're watching highlight reels of the top 10 plays in Rio, expect to see at least two international-incident-inciting alley-oop flushes from DJ.
7. Paul George
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Team: Indiana Pacers
Position: SF
Age: 26
2015-16 Statistics: 23.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 20.9 PER
If the calf strain he suffered against China on Tuesday shows any signs of lingering, we might have to adjust Paul George's position downward. For now, he slots right into the middle of these rankings.
If that feels like short shrift for a 26-year-old do-everything wing who is coming off a career season, consider where he was a little over two years ago, when a broken leg in an intrasquad Team USA scrimmage cast his entire basketball life into uncertainty.
USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo spoke about George's comeback with Mark Medina of the Orange County Register:
"It’s one of the great stories of this group. When you think back to the tragedy when the injury took place, no one could have projected where he would be. And was his career over? Was his career going to be limited because of the injury? Would he ever come back fully? And to see him back and to see what he's accomplished back in the league, it’s like he didn’t miss a beat.
"
A better defender than both Butler and DeRozan, George offers the added bonus of 6'9" size, which will allow him to play plenty of power forward minutes. Good luck to any international big men asked to keep in contact with him on offense.
The U.S. should use George in the middle of its zone full-court press whenever Durant sits, where his length and anticipation are bound to produce steals. And when it comes time to shut down an opposing wing, he will get the call.
6. Kyrie Irving
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Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Position: PG
Age: 24
2015-16 Statistics: 19.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 19.9 PER
As mentioned on the Lowry slide, Irving is built for international play.
He's singularly skilled with the ball in his hands, can get anywhere he wants on the floor and won't be tested defensively. Even if Team USA's bevy of multipurpose wings diminishes the need for point guards and centers alike, Irving will still see tons of court time.
He'll use it to dice up the defense, finish in traffic and set up shooters whenever his forays into the lane attract attention.
After watching him average 25.2 points per game while hitting 44 percent of his threes in the 2016 playoffs, we shouldn't expect any gold-medal game jitters to arise. Irving is now officially big-game battle-tested, and he'll only improve with more experience.
"In high school, I thought he would be great. He’s better," U.S. head coach Mike Krzyzewski said, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. "The thing about him is he’s still getting better and he’s smart—smart people-wise and smart game-wise. He’s smart while the game is going on at a high level. The really good ones are like that."
Breaking: Irving is a really good one.
5. Carmelo Anthony
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Team: New York Knicks
Position: SF
Age: 32
2015-16 Statistics: 21.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 20.3 PER
If this were a ranking of USA Basketball lifetime achievements, Carmelo Anthony might have earned the No. 1 spot. Incredibly, 2016 marks the fourth time he'll suit up for the Olympics, making him the only men's basketball player in history with that distinction.
Anthony ranks fourth all-time in U.S. Olympic scoring, first in made three-pointers, third in games played and fourth in rebounds, per USAB.com.
But at 32, Anthony isn't the player he once was.
Slightly slower afoot and missing the bounce that used to produce highlight finishes, Melo remains a potent one-on-one scorer whose strength and wide array of off-the-dribble moves make him a handful for wings and bigger forwards alike. And while scoring 16 of his 20 points during the third quarter of an exhibition against China on Tuesday, he proved he can still heat up like he used to.
It wasn't quite like the time he scored 37 points in 14 minutes against Nigeria during the 2012 London Olympics, but it was impressive nevertheless.
Anthony is the old head on this roster, and he accepts the leadership role his track record justifies. Don't expect his presence to be solely symbolic, though. He'll likely start and could finish second on the team in scoring.
4. Klay Thompson
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Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: SG
Age: 26
2015-16 Statistics: 22.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 42.5 3FG%, 18.6 PER
Shooting translates in any format, and Thompson is on the short list of best shooters alive. He'll have no end of clean looks at threes as the U.S. whips the ball around in the half court and attacks scrambled defenses in transition.
NBA opponents sold out to prevent his catches, sacrificing defensive integrity elsewhere. With superstars all around him, those kinds of scheme-compromising tactics won't be possible.
Anytime he can't find an opening within the flow of the offense, Thompson can just pull up from 28 feet on his own.
The shorter international line will make those deep heaves seem even deeper, though it's worth noting Thompson shot 45.5 percent from 16-23 feet last year. Many of those long twos will suddenly be threes.
Splash Brother No. 2 is about to set an August record for rainfall in Brazil.
3. DeMarcus Cousins
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Team: Sacramento Kings
Position: C
Age: 25
2015-16 Statistics: 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 23.6 PER
DeMarcus Cousins is going to make a huge impact in Rio because there aren't many international big men capable of handling his overwhelming physical skills. To be fair, there aren't many NBA big men who can handle them either.
"He's the most dominant player in the whole world," Kings general manager Vlade Divac told CSNBayArea.com's James Ham. "And being from Serbia, I have to root for Serbia, but I feel bad for them. He’s going to kill them."
Don't expect Team USA to run much offense through its centers, but count on Cousins crushing everyone on the offensive boards and drawing tons of fouls with his bully-ball play inside.
If we were organizing these guys based on broader objective criteria, Cousins wouldn't slot this high. His relative inefficiency (just 45.1 percent from the field last year), inconsistent defensive focus and contribution to the dysfunction in Sacramento would drag him down.
But in this competition, on this team, against this field...he's going to feast.
2. Draymond Green
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Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: PF
Age: 26
2015-16 Statistics: 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 19.3 PER
Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Green is the key to unlocking his team's ferocious defensive potential.
Having earned All-NBA Second Team honors and a runner-up spot in Defensive Player of the Year voting (again), Green's ability to defend centers while stretching the floor with his passing and shooting on the other end gives Team USA a weapon no one else in the world has.
This is a roster built to eviscerate opponents on defense—especially when it fields lineups composed of four other wings with Green at center.
Andrew Lynch of Fox Sports highlighted Green's not-so-secret-weapon status:
"Team USA is ready to unleash unconventional lineups on the rest of the world. On more than one occasion during exhibitions this week, we've seen Team USA keep both Jordan and Cousins on the bench, with Draymond Green playing center. It's a sound decision; no opponent has the size to punish Team USA for going small, and versatility is the most powerful tool this Olympic squad has.
"
Nobody in the NBA had a higher net rating than Green's plus-18.9 last year, per NBA.com, and we should expect to see Team USA blow games open most dramatically when he's leading the undersized defensive destruction.
1. Kevin Durant
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Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: SF
Age: 27
2015-16 Statistics: 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 28.2 PER
Sorry for the lack of suspense, but there was never any doubt that Durant would rank first here. He's the undisputed best player on this team and the No. 1 scoring option. The format doesn't matter, and neither does the field.
Maybe an anecdote will help illustrate how simple this is.
Coach Krzyzewski took the podium after Team USA's 107-57 victory over China in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, and Durant was supposed to join him. But KD's postgame ice treatment took longer than expected, which after about 10 minutes resulted in Krzyzewski jokingly acknowledging that everybody in the media room was really just waiting on the star.
"OK, I'm going to do an impersonation of KD," he quipped, smirking. "Imagine I'm great, and I'm 7 feet tall and I can do anything. All right, you can't imagine that. So why don't you wait for him, and I'll get the heck out of here."
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
