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Team USA will enter the 2021 Olympics as dominant favorites to win the men's basketball tournament but arrive in an unexpected state of unease. Roster changes, covid protocols and playing teams with nothing to lose while being full of NBA talent themselves have laid bare the U.S. side's difficulties heading into the Games.
Gregg Popovich's side begin their 2021 Olympics with a tough opening fixture against France on Sunday. Although the roster is stacked with NBA All-Stars and championship experience, Team USA lost twice in their warm-up exhibition matches to Nigeria and Australia. As a result, they will be tentative to get ahead of themselves prior to the tournament beginning.
Nevertheless, Team USA followed up those setbacks with commanding victories over Spain and Argentina. When push comes to shove and they need a knockdown scorer in the clutch, Team USA have multiple options to turn to and should be more than capable of bringing back another gold medal.
In this article, we will weigh up what the ceiling and floor is for Team USA at the 2021 Olympics and what to expect from their star-studded roster and their opponents.
Team USA's ceiling at the 2021 Olympics
Team USA's ceiling is simple - win gold at all costs. The men's basketball team have won the tournament in the previous three Olympic games and have lost only five times in a total of 143 contests.
But winning is easy when you have the most-talented roster and that expectation comes at a price. Anything less than gold is unacceptable, while fans also expect their star-studded lineup to put on a show in every matchup as if they aren't playing teams who have their own crop of NBA players and who know how to break down Team USA's frailties.
Also Check out: USA Men's Olympic Basketball Gold Medal Wins
Therefore, the true ceiling for Team USA is winning in style. They showed off their ability to shoot the three-ball and create on offense in their walkover win against Argentina. They were also able to grind out a gritty win against reigning World Cup champions Spain in their warm-up matches.
Team USA is stacked with talent and should they begin to fire on all cylinders, other sides will be in danger. In Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, they have two leaders with Championship pedigree, not to mention newly-crowned champions Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, who will join the roster once the games have begun.
They also have some of the NBA's elite scorers in Damian Lillard and Zach LaVine, both of whom averaged over 27 points per game this season. At the other end of the floor, they have three All-Defensive team members in Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green and Jrue Holiday.
Also Check out: USA Men's Olympic Basketball Jersey Numbers
While winning may not be a walkover at times during the 2021 Olympics and they will be playing with a target on their backs, Team USA should be able to rely on their elite scoring to overcome any opponent's will to topple them.
What is the floor for Team USA at the 2021 Olympics?
We have already caught a glimpse of Team USA's weaknesses in their exhibition games which will need to be addressed if they want to avoid embarrassment at the 2021 Olympics. Bringing in JaVale McGee for one of their covid-affected players has added some much needed depth in the paint and some rim protection.
However, building chemistry and fluidity on offense down the stretch are still very much areas for concern that easier group stage games against Iran and the Czech Republic can help resolve.
The floor for Team USA is realistically finishing anywhere but 1st. However, the true floor looks more like coming away from the 2021 Olympics without a medal which hasn't happened in any previous Games the side have competed in. In 2004, Team USA left Greece with the Bronze medal after losing three times, though they have not lost a game since in the following three tournaments.
While such a reoccurence seems unrealistic, stranger things have happened in basketball and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that there could be three better teams this summer than Team USA.
Also Check out: Basketball Olympic Medal Winners by year
In other words, Kevin Durant and co. have a tough task on their hands to bring home another gold. Straight off the bat at the 2021 Olympics, they face a French team with the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, and perimeter shooters Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier, who both had solid campaigns themselves.
Should they proceed from the group stage, they could play an Australian side also pushing for a podium place or Spain, who recently won the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
There is plenty of NBA talent outside of Team USA competing at the 2021 Olympics and all of them would love to have a crack at overturning the favorites. While Poppovich's side will feel confident in their chances, they cannot afford to get carried away or let the pressure of expected success thwart their undeniable ability to win.
