Does this team have enough to compete? We think, yes.
The 12-man roster for the FIBA World Cup has been set! Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski had a tough time deciding who to cut from the team, but they went with size over athleticism during the latest round of cuts. Among some of the names that were left off: Damian Lillard, Kyle Korver, Chandler Parsons and Gordon Hayward.
Coach Krzyzewski is thinking long-term (see: Spain, who has the Gasol brothers and Serge Ibaka on the low block) and how they will compete against big men, rather than going with the small-ball philosophy the teams have been playing in recent years.
You can see the players who made the 12-man roster, with the two making the final team being Demar DeRozan and Andre Drummond. Drummond adds to the big men they already had (Demarcus Cousins, Kenneth Faried, Mason Plumlee and Anthony Davis) and will allow Team USA to play matchups that they might not have had a chance to before.
Coach Krzyzewski would rather see other teams adjust to their bigs, rather them adjusting to other country’s faster style of play.
As you can see from the roster, the team is still stacked even after Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love dropped out. This team is more made of up young up and coming talent, some of which might surprise folks and break out during the competition.
OS REWIND: Paul George Breaks Leg In Team USA Scrimmage
OS REWIND: Anthony Davis’ Back-To-Back Insane Alley-Oop Slam Dunks Against Brazil