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USA White vs. USA Blue Basketball Roster, TV Schedule, Live Stream
August 8, 2019
USA Basketball has a much different look as it prepares for this year's FIBA World Cup in China.
Longtime coach Mike Krzyzewski is gone. Several top players, including James Harden, Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard, have decided not to play. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are also out with injuries.
So as USA Basketball enters its exhibition schedule ahead of the World Cup, which gets underway August 31, there are some questions surrounding the team, now led by longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Will the U.S. win the World Cup for the third straight time after their victories in 2010 and 2014? Or will another country, such as Canada or Spain, unseat the two-time defending champions?
The United States' five exhibition games, beginning with Friday's intrasquad scrimmage between USA White and USA Blue, should help give an indication of how the team will fare in China.
Heading into Friday's match, here's a look at information for that game, USA Basketball's roster and more.
USA Basketball Scrimmage Information
Date: Friday, Aug. 9
Time: 10 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Live Stream: NBA.com/NBATV
USA Basketball Roster
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat center/forward
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings forward
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics forward
Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers forward
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks center
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors guard
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks forward
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz guard
Mason Plumlee, Denver Nuggets center
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics guard
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics forward
P.J. Tucker, Houston Rockets forward
Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers center
Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics guard
Thaddeus Young, Chicago Bulls forward
Preview
There are 15 players on USA Basketball's roster, but Popovich will need to whittle it down to 12 by Aug. 17. That means there will be two exhibition games before the deadline: Friday's intrasquad scrimmage and a game against Spain on Aug. 16.
The U.S. isn't deep at the guard positions, so Kemba Walker, Kyle Lowry and Donovan Mitchell should be locks to make the team and will likely be counted on to lead the offense.
This may not be the best group of available American players, with superstars such as LeBron James, Davis and Harden not playing, but Popovich isn't concerned about the level of talent on this year's roster.
Per the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds (h/t the San Francisco Chronicle), he said:
"We're looking for guys who are competitive, who can handle the discipline it's going to take to get this done, play a team game and basically fall in love with each other and have that empathy so that they feel responsible to each other and depend upon each other. That obviously means you don't need the greatest amount of talent in the world. Too little talent is not a good thing, but we don't have that problem."
The U.S. will face the Czech Republic, Japan and Turkey in Group E, with the top two teams in the section advancing to the second round.
The Americans should have no problem progressing past pool play, and it's likely they will be one of the favorites to win the World Cup.
It should help having Popovich, a five-time NBA champion and three-time NBA Coach of the Year, leading a coaching staff that also includes Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr as an assistant.
"He is so passionate about this project, and he's so well-prepared," Kerr said of Popovich, per Reynolds.
Popovich should get the most out of the talented roster, and a successful run through the FIBA World Cup is likely on the way when the tournament gets underway.