The USA roster for the Paris Olympics 2024 is stacked to its limits. The true meaning of this can be understood by the fact that players like Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, and Anthony Davis are coming off the bench. Despite the superstar presence of LeBron James and Stephen Curry at the forefront, Paul Pierce believes that the leader of the team is Anthony Edwards. In a recent episode of UNDISPUTED, the Celtics legend made this tall claim about Ant-Man and explained the reason behind his theory.
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There is no denying the fact that if any team has Steph and LeBron, they will be the biggest players on that side. The same applies to Team USA as well. However, in Paul Pierce’s assessment, the biggest player may not necessarily be the leader of the team. He said that Ant-Man has a certain aura about him that makes him the most exciting player to look out for. Besides that, the Wolves star knows how to take over the game, probably better than anyone else.
He said, “To me, I think the clear leader of this team is Ant-Man.” He said that when it comes to being a leader on the court, nobody is doing a better job than Edwards. The NBA veteran also referred to the statement that Ant-Man made at the beginning of their camp. He had said that the team USA needs to be built around him as he is their best option. While most people took it as him showcasing his confidence, Pierce thinks that Ant-Man believes it. which is why he was able to dominate against Canada.
“The clear leader of this USA team on the court is Ant-Man.”
— @PaulPierce34 pic.twitter.com/NpYCSh31zb
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) July 11, 2024
Pierce said that it was the result of his confidence that despite coming off the bench, Ant-Man led the USA squad in scoring with 13 points to his name, followed by Steph with 12 and Jrue Holiday with 11. The Celtics legend even vouched for Ant-Man to be a starter in the upcoming games for a while. Then he retracted his statement as it won’t be appropriate as there are future Hall of Famers on the team.
Anthony Edwards stole the show against Canada
To say that the team USA is the strongest team at the Paris Olympics would be an understatement. Any team comprising LeBron, Steph, AD, and Kevin Durant is a force to be reckoned with. Despite the star power on the squad, Ant-Man was leading the team from the front once he came off the bench. Steve Kerr began the game with the veterans as his starters. However, the team USA went down by 11 points, and he had to call in for backup.
Once players started coming off the bench, most notably of which was Ant-man, Team USA took the lead against Canada. Despite struggling with their three-point shooting, the US squad shot 50.7% from the field and ended the game with 86-72. This was the first of five exhibition games that they are scheduled to play before the Olympics. Going by the impact Ant-Man made in Game 1, he can be expected to play more minutes in the upcoming games.
