The USA men’s basketball team heads to France with a roster full of elite shooters and scorers.
It remains to be seen exactly how head coach Steve Kerr will use his 12-man roster, considering the Americans barely skated by South Sudan and Germany in pre-Olympic exhibitions and were called out to raise their “effort and energy” by Kerr.
Still, the U.S. went 5-0 in its friendlies.
With the incredible talent on tap, it could end up being a score by committee approach for Team USA, or it could be a LeBron James and Steph Curry-led offense, which we’ve seen at times in the tune-up games.
Stephen Curry | +250 |
Anthony Edwards | +350 |
LeBron James | +450 |
Kevin Durant | +700 |
Anthony Davis | +900 |
Joel Embiid | +1000 |
Jayson Tatum | +1200 |
Devin Booker | +1400 |
Bam Adebayo | +2000 |
Tyrese Haliburton | +2000 |
Jrue Holiday | +2500 |
Derrick White | +4000 |
Curry, who will be playing in his first Olympics this summer, is the +250 favorite to lead Team USA in scoring. The four-time NBA champion led all players in minutes played across the five exhibitions, while ranking third in scoring with 12.8 PPG.
Curry led the team with 24 points, including six threes, in USA’s 105-79 win over Serbia on July 17.
Anthony Edwards (+350) is second-favorite after coming in as the team’s second leading scorer in the exhibitions. The Timberwolves star scored in double-figures in all five games and was one of four players to average north of 20 minutes per game.
It remains to be seen whether Edwards will be in the starting five come the opener on Sunday vs. Serbia.
LeBron James scored more points than any of his teammates across the tune-up games and comes in at third-favorite at +450. While LeBron is known for his all-around game and overall playmaking ability, it is clear that both he and his teammates view him as the number one scoring option and the “closer.”
James had the ball the in his hands more than anyone down the stretch of USA’s wins over South Sudan and Germany, scoring a combined 45 points across those two games. If the U.S. is blowing a team out, he may not be looking to score, but in a tight game expect LeBron to be the one assuming the responsibility.
Team USA all-time leading scorer Kevin Durant (+700) did not play in any of the five exhibitions due to a calf injury, but is expected to suit up and play significant minutes come the group stage.
Big men Anthony Davis (+900) and Joel Embiid (+1000) will man the middle and likely get plenty of touches, while recent NBA champion Jayson Tatum is a +1200 shot to continue his red-hot form and lead the team in scoring.
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Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.