Seeing Team USA Meet Up For The First Time In Vegas Is Like Watching The Real Life Version Of The Avengers Assemble

I don't care if this has been said 1,000 times before, watching that all these videos of Team USA finally arriving in Vegas to begin their Olympic camp truly feels like that famous clip above. It's the real-life Avengers and you cannot convince me otherwise. Just when you think you've seen enough, more and more keep showing up. KD, LeBron, Steph, Ant, Booker, AD, Embiid, Haliburton, Kawhi, Jrue, Bam, it really puts into perspective just how insane this Team USA roster is going to be. Shit, we didn't even see Gold Medalist and NBA Champion Jayson Tatum in that clip! You know, this guy!

Gregory Shamus. Getty Images.

Just an embarrassment of riches and frankly I cannot wait to see how it all looks. It's been a while since we've seen Team USA form a super-duper team like this, and seeing as how it's probably the last go-around for guys like KD/LeBron/Steph what better way to go out than this? We hear all the time about how the rest of the world is catching up and perhaps that's true with some tournaments like FIBA where Team USA sends their B/C teams. But this? This collection of talent? Sorry, I just cannot see anyone coming close.

When you look at the entire roster, there really isn't a hole. 

Advertisement

If you find yourself in a matchup against someone like France who have twin towers like Gobert/Wemby? OK. Team USA can roll out AD and Joel Embiid, maybe you've heard of them. You need to play small and have shooting? Cool. Play LeBron at the 5 or some shit and surround him with guys like Steph, Booker, KD, Tatum. You want to play fast? Put Haliburton in the open court and have Ant out in transition. You need elite perimeter point of attack defense to limit a high usage ball handler? May I introduce you to Jrue Holiday. You need to be able to switch? Good thing Bam Adebayo is probably the best switching big on planet earth. 

In previous Team USA runs, their size was usually an issue. Rebounding kept biting them in the ass, and they were simply too small against some of these other countries. Now? That problem is gone. To be successful in these international competions, you need to have strong fundamentals (check), you need size (check), you need to be able to shoot (CHECK), and you need to be versatile (check). We're at the point now where Team USA's margin of victory should rival the Dream Team's where they roll through everyone by around 28-30 a game. That sounds crazy, but it's definitely doable. In 2020 they had a +20 point differential and in 2016 it was +22.5, but to me this team should be closer to 2012 (+32.1) and 2008 (+27.9). If you were curious, the 1992 Dream Team was +43.8 and then +31.6 in 1996 as well. 

Looking ahead, Team USA will have 5 exhibition games as they prepare for the Games. 

July 10th vs Canada

July 15th vs Australia

July 17th vs Serbia 

July 20th vs South Sudan

July 22nd vs Germany

Given Team Canada just won FIBA, Australia has been a thorn in the past and Jokic will be with Serbia, those should be three good tests before things get real at the end of this month.