LeBron James and the players of Team USA felt the wind of the cannonball very closely against Serbia and then France, but the result is there: in Paris, the United States won a 5th Olympic gold medal in a row. The honor of American basketball is safe, but their domination is less and less flagrant and more and more contested. What will happen in 2028, on their land, in Los Angeles?
Team USA will look completely different since LeBron James, who will be 43, and Stephen Curry, will not be there. On the bench, Steve Kerr will no longer be there, and Erik Spoelstra is the logical favorite to replace him. As for Kevin Durant, who will be 39 in 2028, he leaves doubts about his possible participation. According to ESPNGM Grant Hill is counting on him to guide the new generation.
A strong spine
Four years before the next Games, and in the wake of this victory in Paris, what will the 2028 squad look like? First, it should be remembered that there will be a World Cup in 2027 in Qatar beforehand, and that even if no superstars are expected to participate, it will allow the Federation to evaluate the new generation. We are thinking of players like Ja Morant, Tyrese Maxey, Chet Holmgren or why not Zion Williamson and Cooper Flagg.
Here are our predictions for the 2028 roster with an Edwards-Booker-Durant-Adebayo-Davis framework that should allow for continuity. After his “crisis”, Jaylen Brown seems excluded from the group. Will Jayson Tatum agree to come back? It's not certain, and for now, we prefer Kevin Durant, even at 39 years old.
Ultimately, the big challenge will be finding defenders on the outside positions to replace Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.
Playmakers : Ja Morant, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton.
Exteriors : Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
Interiors : Zion Williamson, Bam Adebayo, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Anthony Davis
Options : Jayson Tatum, Mikal Bridges, Cooper Flagg, De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Maxey, Evan Mobley, Jaylen Brown…
