Team USA Basketball Has Five Elite Point Guards In The Camp: Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, John Wall! Who Will Make It?
As expected, Team USA has the richest talent pool among all the countries in the world. Even if the frontline has been decimated by withdrawals, the point guard rotation is overflowing with elite talent. Coach K has an enviable problem!
Of course, the experts at nba.com discussed that. It's a fine dilemma to have, but it's also a big reason why coaching Team USA is not easy.
"Jeff Caplan, NBA.com: I can't take my eyes off the five point guards: Steph Curry, Derrick Rose, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving and John Wall? How many can you put on the 15-man roster Coach K wants by the time camp ends? Four? Probably not. I'm guessing three. Unless Team USA assistant and Bulls coachTom Thibodeau gives Coach K the wink to keep Rose off the team as injury prevention, I believe Rose is a lock. My second lock is Curry because he can swing over to the 2 and shoot the lights out of any zone defense. Now I have a real problem. Irving is a two-time All-Star and a $90-million man. Wall made his All-Star debut in February and is an $80-million man. Lillard is already an All-Star after two seasons and has ice in his veins. I think Irving is going to get the spot, but my choice is Wall. I really like how he's maturing, both in his physical and mental game. He pushes the tempo, has consistently posted higher assist numbers than Irving and Lillard and shoots the 3 well enough, especially on this squad. So there it is, Wall gets my third and final point-guard spot."
Three would be a realistic number on the final 12 man roster. There are also a lot of shooting guards in the camp so it's unlikely they will convert one of these five players into the 'two' position full time.
"Sekou Smith, NBA.com: That point guard group is as elite as it gets. Outside of Steph Curry, whose ability to knock down shots from anywhere on the floor is crucial in international competition, I don't know that there any locks for the roster in this group. I can see any combination of three making sense for the final roster. And that means two All-Stars get left behind. Picking two guys from a group that includes Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard and John Wall seems like an impossible situation, one that Coach K's peers who will be in Spain would love to be laboring through right now. But this is about the best fits for this particular team and until we see them work through training camp, I don't think we can jump to any conclusions about who fits best. If I'm picking, Irving and Lillard would seem to make the most sense based on skill-sets and versatility."
Kyrie Irving was chosen twice, and both experts did not make the Duke reference (rightfully so). He has been committed to this team for more than a year now and fits right in with Coach K's system. If Rose will really play (and they did not use the camp just for training) then he's the other lock. Steph Curry is also indispensable for his shooting as most people believe.