Given that the Olympics began this weekend, I thought it would be good to preview the Olympic basketball tournament. Especially since 46 NBA players will be competing, which is the most in Olympic history. What I will do is give you a quick preview of each of the 12 teams competing in this event.
United States: Jimmy Butler (Bulls), Kevin Durant (Warriors), DeAndre Jordan (Clippers), Kyle Lowry (Raptors), Harrison Barnes (Mavericks), DeMar DeRozan (Raptors), Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers), Klay Thompson (Warriors), DeMarcus Cousins (Kings), Paul George (Pacers), Draymond Green (Warriors), and Carmelo Anthony (Knicks) is the USA roster and while it does lack some big names like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook, it is still a LOADED roster.
The bottom line is that so long as these guys don't let their egos get in the way, which I don't think they will, the United States should have no problem bringing home the gold. They have a fantastic combination of athleticism and skill. Kyrie Irving for example might be the most skilled player in this whole tournament while DeAndre Jordan is certainly the most athletic. I would be shocked if the United States had any games that were decided by less than 10 points.
Argentina: Argentina has one of the most competitive rosters in this tournament. They have a couple of current NBA players in Luis Scola (Nets), Manu Ginobili (Spurs), and Nicolas Brussino (Mavericks) while also having a couple of former NBA players in Carlos Delfino and Andres Nocioni. They definitely have skill, but size isn't exactly their forte with nobody bigger than 6'10". The way that Argentina will have to make up for their lack of size is to play really clean and efficient basketball, something that they've been capable of doing in the past. Look for Argentina to make some noise and threaten to win a medal.
Australia: Australia has several active NBA players on their team: Andrew Bogut (Mavericks), Patty Mills (Spurs), Joe Ingles (Jazz), Matthew Dellavedova (Bucks), and Arron Baynes (Pistons). Plus, Cameron Bairstow played in the NBA last season with the Bulls.
While only Andrew Bogut would be considered a "high profile" player, the very fact that they have five active NBA players on their team makes them very dangerous. If Patty Mills and Joe Ingles can stroke it from deep while Andrew Bogut controls the paint, these guys will be tough.
Note: Andrew Bogut did play in their opener against France and scored 18 points, so he appears to be fully healthy.
Brazil: Brazil, like Australia has a lot of NBA players on their team, though not a lot of really big names. Their two best players are Nenê (Rockets) and Leandro Barbosa (Suns), but they have three other NBA players in Raul Neto (Jazz), Cristiano Felicio (Bulls), and Marcelinho Huertas (Lakers).
The advantage that Brazil has is that they have a nice blend of post play and wing play. Barbosa, Huertas, and Neto make for a very nice backcourt while Nene and Felicio make for a quality front court. The balance of this Brazilian team could propel them towards an Olympic medal.
China: China is a very young team that quite honestly isn't very good. They have zero active NBA players on their roster and only one player with NBA experience in Yi Jianlian, who washed out of the league pretty quick. That isn't to say there is no talent on this team. They have two big men, Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin, who were drafted in the NBA in this most recent draft, but neither of them have much experience playing against NBA level players. Look for China to struggle in this event. Their 62-119 loss to the United States certainly does not give me any reason to think otherwise.
Croatia: Philadelphia 76ers fans should keep an eye on Croatia due to the presence of big man Dario Saric, who is looking to lead his country to a medal. Saric is coming over to the 76ers this year and will get an early taste of NBA level basketball in these Olympics. Croatia has a couple of other NBA players on their roster as well in Mario Hezonja (Magic) and Bojan Bogdanovic (Nets).
Mario Hezonja will be really interesting to watch since he was drafted #5 overall in 2015 and spent the year overseas with FC Barcelona. Hezonja is a freak athlete at 6'8", 218 pounds and he can shoot the ball well, so Magic fans too should get excited to see how he does. The Croatian team doesn't have very many NBA players, but the ones they do have could make an impact. Croatia is a dark horse to get a medal at these games. The could definitely surprise people.
France: The NBA players representing France are Nicolas Batum (Hornets), Joffrey Lauvergne (Nuggets), Tony Parker (Spurs), Boris Diaw (Jazz), and Rudy Gobert (Jazz). Plus, Nando De Colo could probably still be in the NBA, but he opted for more money with CSKA Moscow. France has some serious talent with Tony Parker running the point and Rudy Gobert down on the block doing what he does best, which is disrupting shots and catching lobs for easy dunks.
The Parker, Batum, and Gobert trio alone makes France very scary and then when you add a nice supporting cast in Diaw, Lauvergne, and De Colo, you suddenly have a quasi NBA team on your hands. Rudy Gobert is a game-changer and Tony Parker is still one of the best point guards in the league. I would be shocked if France did not get a medal at these games.
Lithuania: Lithuanians are known to be large people and their basketball team is no exception with nobody under 6'4" and four players that are at least 6'10". Jonas Valanciunas, the center for the Toronto Raptors is the star of this Lithuanian team, but there are two other NBA players on this team in Domantas Sabonis (Magic) and Mindaugas Kuzminskas (Knicks), both of whom play forward. The key for this Lithuanian team will be to take advantage of their size and really control the glass. If they do a good job at this, they won't be an easy out for any team. Look for Lithuania to make some noise and threaten to win a medal.
Nigeria: Nigeria has 1.5 NBA players. Michael Gbinije plays for the Pistons and Ben Uzoh plays in the D-League with the Canton Charge. The only guy with any serious NBA experience is Ike Diogu. Josh Akognon spent a year with the Dallas Mavericks, but that's it. All in all, look for Nigeria to get waxed at this event, but props to them for being the top team coming out of Africa. That's not nothing.
Serbia: The only current NBA player on the Serbian team is Nikola Jokic, a big man for the Denver Nuggets. Miroslav Raduljica played briefly in the NBA and Bogdan Bogdanovic was drafted in the 1st round by the Phoenix Suns in 2014. The best player outside of Jokic is probably Milos Tedosic, who has been a really solid player overseas, playing with CSKA Moscow during the last few seasons. Tedosic is a combo guard, so Serbia definitely has weapons on the perimeter as well as in the paint. Serbia should win at least a couple of games, but I don't see them winning a medal when it's all said and done.
Spain: Spain has a ton of NBA talent on their team with Pau Gasol (Bulls), Ricky Rubio (Timberwolves), Nikola Mitotic (Bulls), and Rudy Fernandez, who plays for Real Madrid but is a guy who'd be averaging double digit points per game in the NBA if he wanted to be. Plus, they have Sergio Rodriguez (76ers), Jose Calderon (Lakers), Willy Hernangomez (Knicks), and Alex Abrines (Thunder).
The amount of NBA talent for a non-USA team is really impressive and the non-NBA players are also some of the best players not playing in the NBA. France might be the team to give the USA the most trouble, but many think it will be Spain due to all the talent that they have. Look for Spain to make a lot of noise and put themselves in a position to compete against the United States in the gold medal game.
Venezuela: I'm gonna be totally honest with you. I haven't heard of any of the Venezuelan players and they have nobody that is bigger than 6'9". They do have one Division 1 player in Anthony Perez of Ole Miss, who just finished his senior year averaging 7.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. So, they definitely have quality basketball players, it's just that relative to the rest of the competition, they aren't very good.
Prediction: United States takes the gold, France takes the silver, and Spain takes the bronze.
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