The Team USA roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics is among the strongest the nation has ever fielded. However, the strength of the squad is an anomaly. Most of the best players from the US often skip the Olympics, prioritizing recovery in the offseason over an arduous eight-week schedule to ensure they can endure the grind of a lengthy NBA season. However, Draymond Green experienced the opposite.
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On The Draymond Green Show, the Warriors forward suggested that players who participate in the Olympics or other international tournaments in the offseason often come into training camp in top shape and have good campaigns. The veteran said,
“I am pretty sure both the Olympics I played in coming off that year, I was an All-Star because you come in great shape and when you come in great shape, you hit the ground runnin’ man.”
The evidence does back Green’s statement. Including him, 11 of the 12 players on the Team USA roster that flew to Rio for the 2016 Olympics earned All-Star nods in 2017. The number dropped in 2022 as only seven of the 12 who played for the USA in the Tokyo Olympics were named All-Stars.
But it’s worth noting that the number would’ve been nine had Bam Adebayo and Damian Lillard not suffered long-term injuries. Jerami Grant also had a splendid start to the 2021-22 season before picking up an injury that cost him two months of the campaign.
The remaining two players on the 12-man roster, JaVale McGee and Keldon Johnson enjoyed an uptick in performance. The center’s average rose from 7.3 points and 5.2 rebounds to 9.2 and 6.7, respectively. The Spurs guard’s scoring average also increased by 4.2 points, helping him earn an $80 million contract.
Green was seemingly right about players enjoying a spike in production after participating in the Olympics. Perhaps that’s why he was hoping to earn a spot on the team that flew to Paris. While he didn’t make the cut, he believes it’s the best roster international ever assembled.
Draymond Green thinks the 2024 team would obliterate the Dream Team
When Team USA announced the roster for the Paris Olympics, fans, analysts and former players compared it to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics roster, dubbed the Dream Team. It is widely regarded as the best team international team ever.
However, Green believes the 2024 team is significantly better than the Michael Jordan-led unit. On The Draymond Green Show, he bullishly claimed,
The 2024 team beats the Dream Team five out of seven games… The versatility on that team, the star power, the scoring.. don’t think the Dream Team can do anything… I wouldn’t say come close… A ten-point loss. Double digits.”
A seven-game series between the two teams would be a blockbuster affair. However, the hypotheticals should be put on hold until the 2024 roster returns home with the gold. Perhaps Green might change his tune if LeBron James and Co. succumb to an upset loss in Paris.
