Team USA Basketball: Four NBA players who could improve 3×3 men’s team at 2024 Olympics

USA Basketball is off to a strong start at the 2024 Olympics … at least when it comes to 5-on-5. That may be the most traditional form of the sport being played in Paris, but it isn’t the only one. Team USA also sent a 3-on-3 team led by former college star Jimmer Fredette, and it has dropped its first three games while the 5-on-5 team has already advanced to the quarterfinals round. Team USA’s women have also lost their first three games, meaning the world’s preeminent hoops power started a combined 0-for-6 in this unconventional format.

If you want to know why Team USA has struggled in the 3-on-3 game, Isabel Gonzalez explained it for CBS Sports here. But let’s say you want to fix it. Let’s say you want to construct a roster of NBA players designed specifically to win a game of 3-on-3 as opposed to 5-on-5. And to make it interesting, rather than simply picking LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, we’re going to include the following stipulation: no player who has ever participated for Team USA in a senior men’s tournament is eligible. Amateur participation for Team USA is fair game.

So before we build our roster, let’s lay out what traits are most important in the 3-on-3 world:

• Individual offense. It’s far more difficult to create an advantage with three players than it is with five. Players aren’t going to find their own points within the flow of an offense as easily. Someone, ideally multiple players, needs to be able to create their own looks off the dribble or in the post.
• Shooting. In the 3-on-3 format, shots that normally count for two points count for one and shots that normally count for three points count for two. While it might seem like this makes 3-pointers less important, it actually makes them more valuable on a relative basis. In the NBA, a 3-pointer is worth 33.3% more than a 2-pointer. In 3-on-3, it’s worth 50% more. Therefore, we need someone who can create and make 3-pointers off the dribble.
• Defensive versatility and toughness. It’s much harder to hide a bad defender with three options on the floor than five. You’re going to have to defend the ball in 3-on-3, and your team isn’t going to switch as comfortably as it does in the NBA when there is more help behind you to cover mismatches.

So with that in mind, here are our four choices for our revamped Team USA 3-on-3 roster:

I seriously considered Trae Young for the role of designated ball-handler on our 3-on-3 roster. There are theoretical fits for him in this format. He takes a million pull-up 3s, he’s great at passes that translate to 3-on-3 (like lobs), and his floater is a lethal weapon he’d have the space to unleash plenty here. But I just couldn’t get past the defensive issues. I’m comfortable having a limited defender. I don’t want someone’s defense to pick on this easily.

So my backup was De’Aaron Fox. Most of the NBA’s best pull-up shooters have already played for Team USA at the senior level, so the field was narrow here. C.J. McCollum was a tough cut as an experienced and reliable pull-up shooter, but I ultimately landed on Fox because of his versatility. He doesn’t have an especially long track record as a pull-up shooter, but he really emphasized that shot last season, averaging 4.6 pull-up 3-point attempts per game last season. His speed is second to none, so he’ll be able to get to the basket. He has a diverse mid-range game that has made him one of the NBA’s best clutch scorers of late. And while he’s no defensive stopper, he isn’t Trae Young either.

There’s not a perfect fit here. Most of the elite scoring guards available to us have some defensive deficiency. The pool you’re picking from is likely Fox, Young, Darius Garland, and Tyrese Maxey if you want an offensive centerpiece. McCollum just isn’t quite as explosive. Fred VanVleet is a much better fit for five-on-five. But for the most part, our best offensive players have all played for Team USA already, so this was a tough slot to fill.

Herb Jones

Our primary defensive choice was easy. Herb Jones should’ve made the 5-on-5 men’s team for the Olympics, but he wasn’t even in the player pool. He can defend anyone. Literally. The Pelicans use him on centers as frequently as they use him on guards. His seven-foot wingspan will help him generate turnovers no matter who he’s guarding. He’s not exactly a high-volume 3-point shooter, but he’s improved substantially since he arrived in the NBA. He made 41.8% of his attempts last season. He’ll fit in well enough offensively, but his job is to play defense.

Scottie Barnes was the other primary candidate in the versatile wing slot here. He’s certainly more of a ball-handler than Jones is. Both have improving but still somewhat questionable shots. In the end, Jones’ superior defense won out. We’re looking for someone to play a role in this position. The scoring will come from other places.

The ideal big man for this exercise would have been Brook Lopez. Shooting, rim protection, post defense, and the ability to score on his own near the basket made him a perfect pick. But Lopez played for Team USA at the 2019 World Cup, so he’s out. I considered one of Team USA’s younger big men like Cooper Flagg or Chet Holmgren, but decided against them partially because it felt against the spirit of the exercise to take players we assume are future locks for future 5-on-5 rosters.