♦By Lance Tominaga, ESPN Honolulu Web Editor.
USA Basketball has announced its final list of candidates to make the 2021 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team. The Tokyo Olympics is set to take place from July 23 through Aug. 8. Below is the full list of finalists, along with my picks to make the 12-man roster:
Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) ♦ LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs) ♦ Jarrett Allen (Cleveland Cavaliers) ♦ Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings) ♦ Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards) ♦ Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) ♦ Malcolm Brogdon (Indiana Pacers) ♦ Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics) ♦ Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat) ♦ Mike Conley Jr. (Utah Jazz) ♦ Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) ♦ Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers) ♦ DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio Spurs) ♦ Andre Drummond (Cleveland Cavaliers) ♦ Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) ♦ Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers) ♦ Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets) ♦ Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons) ♦ Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) ♦ Blake Griffin (Brooklyn Nets) ♦ James Harden (Brooklyn Nets) ♦ Montrezl Harrell (Los Angeles Lakers) ♦ Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets) ♦ Tobias Harris (Philadelphia 76ers) ♦ Gordon Hayward (Charlotte Hornets) ♦ Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks) ♦ Dwight Howard (Philadelphia 76ers) ♦ Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans) ♦ Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets) ♦ LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) ♦ DeAndre Jordan (Brooklyn Nets) ♦Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers) ♦ Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls) ♦ Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers) ♦Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) ♦ Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks) ♦ Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers) ♦Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors) ♦ JaVale McGee (Cleveland Cavaliers) ♦ Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks) ♦ Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz) ♦ Victor Oladipo (Houston Rockets) ♦ Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns) ♦ Mason Plumlee (Detroit Pistons) ♦ Julius Randle (New York Knicks) ♦ Duncan Robinson (Miami Heat) ♦ Mitchell Robinson (New York Knicks) ♦ Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) ♦ Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers) ♦ Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors) ♦ Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics) ♦ John Wall (Houston Rockets) ♦ Russell Westbrook (Washington Wizards) ♦ Derrick White (San Antonio Spurs) ♦ Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
♦ Christian Wood (Houston Rockets) ♦ Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
C – ANTHONY DAVIS: Health permitting, of course. The most dominant and versatile big man in the game.
C – ANDRE DRUMMOND: Need a rebounder and shot blocker? Drummond is the very best. He won’t even need to score much.
F – KEVIN DURANT: The international game demands skilled outside shooters. Durant would probably lead this team in scoring.
F – ZION WILLIAMSON: C’mon. You gotta have Zion on this team. Dunk you very much.
F – LEBRON JAMES: This would likely be his final Olympics experience. And he’s still the best in the game.
F – KAWHI LEONARD: He’ll probably never win an NBA title. Might as well go for Olympic gold.
F – JAYSON TATUM: One of basketball’s brightest young stars.
G – STEPH CURRY: He’s accomplished so much, except been a member of the U.S. Olympic team.
G – JAMES HARDEN: If Durant doesn’t lead this team in scoring, Harden will.
G – DAMIAN LILLARD: Finally, a chance to showcase his talents on a global,stage.
G – CHRIS PAUL: The grizzled vet already has two gold medals. And he’s still on top of his game.
G – RUSSELL WESTBROOK: Need a little bit of everything? Westbrook is still a triple-double machine.
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