After the 12-man US men's basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics was announced, there was a wave of exclamation inside and outside the basketball circle! If you only look at the names of the 12 men, James, Curry, Durant, Embiid, etc., the biggest names in the current American basketball industry have all been recruited into the US men's basketball team! Of course, it is a dream team, and of course it is going to bring the Olympic champion home easily.
However, is this the case? Will the U.S. men's basketball team be able to bring back the Olympic champion as easily as the Dream Team can? I don't think so, because this lineup is too old! Let's talk about three points:
一、从NBA看，本届大奖没有美国球员
Judging from this season's NBA, the Warriors led by Curry failed to enter the playoffs, and the Lakers led by James are currently behind the Nuggets led by Jokic 0:2. James and Curry, as the top stars of the NBA for a long time in the past, have suffered a "Waterloo" of leading the team this season.
Judging from the main contenders for the regular season MVP, Jokic and Doncic are all non-American stars. That said, the top players in the NBA this season aren't American stars. So, how can this American squad be sure to bring home an Olympic champion?
二、从年龄看，本届美国男篮有点老
The average age of the 12 members of the U.S. men's basketball team is 29.9 years old, which is basically 30 years old. A squad of this age is not the oldest team in the Olympics, and it is estimated that no other team is older than this team! A more troublesome problem is that the core big-name stars of the team are all in their 30s! James is 39 years old, Durant is 35 years old, and Curry is 34 years old. The core players are around 35 years old and not very familiar with FIBA rules, so it may not be so easy to win the championship.
三是从规则看，区域联防不好打
The NBA game is to open up space and impact quickly, so the game has to be 120 minutes away at every turn! But the FIBA game is different, the three-point line is full of people, I can't get in? I can't break through! Then, it's better than shooting from the outside. There aren't many people on the 12-man roster who can shoot well, and this problem is actually very prominent and not so easy to solve.
Therefore, the Olympic journey of the U.S. men's basketball team will not be too easy.