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What Team USA basketball should do to avoid another major flop on world stage

By Ethan Scott | Last updated 9/8/23

After a 113-111 loss to unbeaten Germany in the FIBA World Cup semifinals on Friday, Team USA must make significant changes with the Paris Olympics looming next summer.

Although Germany has only three NBA players — Dennis Schröder (Toronto), Daniel Theis (Indiana) and Franz Wagner (Orlando) — it controlled the game from the opening tip.

Now, instead of competing for gold or silver, the Americans will battle Canada for the bronze medal Sunday.

"These games are difficult," Team USA head coach Steve Kerr told the media after the loss to Germany. "This is not 1992 anymore. Players are better all over the world, teams are better and it's not easy to win a World Cup or an Olympic game."

Here's a solution for Team USA bigwigs: Put a full-court press on the best players to play in the top international competitions. For the Olympics, especially, it's time for the big guns -- Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and the like -- to suit up for the United States.

Imagine this next year pic.twitter.com/5HkMvtbzbM
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 8, 2023

Austin Reaves shouldn't be the second- or third-best player for the United States in international competition, as he is at the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines. While he's a crafty guard with impressive offensive talent, Reaves is a defensive liability.

As great as Anthony Edwards is, the Minnesota Timberwolves star shouldn't be the Americans' top player in Paris, as he is at the World Cup. He's only 22 and still maturing.

Luckily for Team USA, Golden State Warriors superstar Curry has hinted at participating in the 2024 Olympics. His head coach, Kerr, will coach the Americans in Paris.

"That's the one piece of the résumé [Kerr] always likes to joke that I don't have, so he's already recruiting for next summer," Curry said via ESPN's "NBA Today" earlier this summer. "I have no idea what next summer looks like, and it's obviously an extra bonus that Coach Kerr is leading that charge. I'd love to play for him any day of the week, so we'll see how it goes come summer 2024."

It's unlikely LeBron James, who turns 39 on Dec. 30, will return for another Olympic run, but Durant is certainly a possibility.

"That would be nice [if Durant played," Kerr said, adding, "I mean, he's been so dominant with Team USA and like I said, he's a guy who just ... loves to play. So we're hoping he decides to keep going."

Team USA should use this World Cup disappointment as motivation to bring out its best at the Olympics in Paris. If it doesn't, it risks another disappointment.

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