Team USA Men’s Basketball announced its 35-man pool for the USA Basketball National Team roster that will compete from 2018 to 2020. Here’s the pool, per the press release:
- Harrison Barnes (Dallas Mavericks)
- Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
- Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
- Jimmy Butler (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- Mike Conley Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)
- DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans Pelicans)
- Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
- Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
- DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)
- Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)
- Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)
- Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets)
- Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
- Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons)
- James Harden (Houston Rockets)
- Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers)
- Gordon Hayward (Boston Celtics)
- Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics)
- LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
- DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers)
- Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs)
- Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
- Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
- CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
- Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
- Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)
- Chris Paul (Houston Rockets)
- Isaiah Thomas (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
- Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)
- Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets)
- John Wall (Washington Wizards)
- Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)
The 12-man roster for the 2019 USA World Cup and 2020 U.S. Olympic teams, assuming the U.S. qualifies for those events, will be selected from this group of players.
The first-timers to this pool are Booker, McCollum, Middleton, Thomas and Turner.
The most surprising name there is probably Thomas, who has had quite the polarizing season. Also interesting are the players with significant injuries, like Leonard and Hayward. And then there’s Eric Gordon. Gordon is a very talented player, but his efficiency has slipped this year, and it’s rare to see a bench player on a list such as this one, even one from a team as good as the Rockets.
Notable exclusions from the pool include Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony, who has a significant history with Team USA; star rookies Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Jayson Tatum of the Celtics; and elite soon-to-be rookies like DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Mohamed Bamba.
From the release:
“While we do not have an official competition that we need to prepare for in 2018, the selection and announcement of our new pool of national team members and this year’s July minicamp are important first steps in our preparations to defend the FIBA World Cup and Olympic titles we won during the last two quadrenniums,” said Colangelo, who has served as managing director of the USA National Team since 2005 and overseen USA teams that have compiled an 88-1 overall record. “This year’s minicamp is an opportunity for us to continue and expand the culture, brotherhood and camaraderie that has been built.
“As is shown by the return of 29 past national team players, our pipeline is well developed and it is a key factor in our success. We’re also excited about the new players who have been added to the program and the roster will remain fluid over the next three years as we continue to look for and consider players who can contribute to our program.”
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will lead the coaching staff.
