USA Basketball emphasizes defense, experience on roster for Paris Games

USA Basketball’s latest “Dream Team” is loaded with star power, experience and a renewed emphasis on size and defense.

“We have a very exciting, very talented and very experienced roster,” Hill said. “We’re just grateful we had so many who were willing to be a part of this. We had a great pool of candidates. It was not easy by any stretch of the imagination. We’re beyond thrilled we’ve assembled this roster of 12. We look forward to the journey and the task at hand, with the goal of bringing gold back from the Olympics.

Davis and Embiid, who is coming off knee surgery in February, give USA Basketball a much longer and more imposing front line than it sported at the World Cup. Meanwhile, Holiday and Leonard, who missed the final eight games of the regular season with knee soreness, should provide stout perimeter defense to complement the team’s deep collection of scorers.

Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jaren Jackson Jr. led the list of rising stars who were squeezed off the veteran-dominated team. Ja Morant, who is rehabilitating a season-ending shoulder injury, and Zion Williamson weren’t included in the initial player pool.“Sometimes you can have a collection of the best, but it’s most important to have the best fit,” Hill said. “We were very thoughtful and intentional about that.

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