USA Basketball Team Grades for the 2024 Paris Olympics Knockout Stages

Moving on to the knockout stage, it’s time to grade the USA Basketball team

The USA Men’s basketball team has moved on in the Paris Olympics, and now they will head to the games where it really matters- the knockout stage. These next few games will determine if they will be in contention for a gold medal, the ultimate prize. Let’s grade each player based on how they’ve played so far.

LeBron James: A

There is one player on this team that is so dominant that you can’t help but give him an A. LeBron has taken over in games when it matters most, and he’s been a constant force in each and every game on both sides of the ball. He plays heavy minutes at the age of 39, which is just unheard of. Really, there isn’t much more we can ask out of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and he’s the leader of this Olympic squad through and through. King James is the best USA Basketball player right now, without a single doubt.

Kevin Durant: A

As a pure basketball player, Durant has been a consistently great figure on the USA Basketball squad. However, he’s been dealing with an injury limiting his in game minutes. Hopefully, he can play more and more, since he’s been elite, rarely missing and playing solid defense whenever he’s hit the floor. KD is known for scoring all around the floor, and it’s been the same story this go around. Expect one of the best international players to keep it going for the rest of Paris.

Steph Curry: B+

Steph Curry is the NBA’s greatest pure shooter, precisely the reason he made the Olympic squad- but he’s been in a bit of a slump. Curry hasn’t been shooting the three ball as well as many expected he would, and his scoring outside of the three ball hasn’t been exciting. In the win against Puerto Rico, he scored a meager 8 points. If he can find his shooting touch, the USA Basketball squad is going to be in a dominating position. If not, it could be a sore spot for the team.

Joel Embiid: D

Joel Embiid is the big man the USA needed to succeed in the paint in big minutes- and he’s failed. Embiid is experiencing a titanic shift to the international style of play where his foul-bait tactics and dirty defense don’t fly. While Embiid finished his group stage strong, scoring 15 and tacking on 3 rebounds and 2 blocks, it’s easy to point out how bad Embiid has been playing this year. If his style of play doesn’t fix itself quickly, we’ll hopefully be seeing his minutes decrease as the USA basketball squad gets into bigger matchups.

Anthony Edwards: A-

It’s easy to picture Edwards as the future of not just the NBA, but also the future of USA Basketball. “Ant Man” is an exciting player who does it all for team USA, offensively and defensively. His flashy highlights are combined with solid team play, but he hasn’t quite found big minutes. Could Edwards be more impactful in a bigger role? Maybe in the future, but for now, he’s the new kid on the block, so he’ll have to find his role in the future.

Devin Booker: A

Devin Booker has been a consistent player fitting his role very well on Team USA. He has adapted to the international game, and adapted to not being the primary scorer, in no small part due to being in the NBA with fellow USA basketball star Kevin Durant on his team. Booker knows how to help this squad win and has been integral in keeping their record spotless.
One thing that has stood out- his defense. It has been top notch in Paris.

Anthony Davis: A-

Anthony Davis has been a solid two-way player for team USA in Paris, but it’s easy to see his minutes and wonder what’s up. Joel Embiid consistently finds time on the court while Davis comes off the bench, and Davis has regularly been outplaying Embiid. It leaves some questions to his role on the USA Basketball team. Is his role just a bench star? If so, he’s filling it perfectly, but I want to see more time out of AD.

Bam Adebayo: B+

Bam Adebayo hasn’t been a major star on the team, but his reliability off the bench is something team USA needs. Bam has been fairly explosive at times, but he’ll go unnoticed for large chunks of the game. While he does the little things right, it’s easy to forget that he’s on the team, but don’t let his impact go underappreciated. Adebayo is going to be valuable in the knockout rounds.

Tyrese Haliburton: B-

Tyrese Haliburton seemed like a great pick for the USA basketball team this time around, but so far, he hasn’t really done all that much for the squad. Haliburton has ridden the bench, and similarly to Anthony Edwards, it seems as though he’s getting more experience to take over the national team in the future rather than help a team dominate in big minutes now. I like this role for now, but I do wish we saw Haliburton find some bigger role on the team.

Jrue Holiday: B+

Jrue Holiday may be the least flashy, smallest name starter on the USA Basketball team, but he has been far from forgotten. Holiday knows how to fit into a team player role for the squad, and he plays it well. Despite not being a huge NBA superstar, he has found a way to become a star on the international stage. Holiday has found himself dealing with some injuries, but has generally been a solid piece to keep the team flowing.

Jayson Tatum: B-

Jayson Tatum is an NBA megastar, but he hasn’t quite found himself dominating on the international stage. Tatum has hardly touched the court all things considered, and his offense-first mentality may be the reason for that. Tatum also hasn’t found himself scoring in clutch moments, instead scoring mainly when the game is already won for team USA. What can Tatum do better? Finding ways to meaningfully contribute on both sides of the floor when the USA basketball squad isn’t in the middle of their battle.

Derrick White: A

It’s hard to come in as the replacement for Kawhi Leonard, and especially hard when no one wanted to see you on the team in the first place. That is the situation Derrick White found himself in when he got the call to join the USA Basketball team. The narrative wasn’t about who was replacing Kawhi, it was about who wasn’t. Fans and media quickly pointed to Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown, and also pointed out Kyrie Irving as potential suitors who could be better than White. However, White is an excellent two-way player who is playing his role to perfection. It’s hard to complain about what he’s done on the team.

So as we head towards the medal matches, it’s easy to see why the USA basketball team is the team to beat. This squad is loaded from top to bottom with players that make it very hard to complain about their game. However, they’ve been somewhat sloppy in their unblemished run thus far. We’ll see if they can pull it off in the end.

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