Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report

It may feel like only yesterday since Gregg Popovich and Kevin Durant led Team USA to gold at the Tokyo Olympics, but the international basketball scene is already nearing its next major competition. This summer, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines will host the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and Team USA is already in the process of building its roster under new head coach Steve Kerr.

Notably, new USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill has changed the criteria for selection a bit this year. Players will no longer have to try out for the team at an extended training camp, he explained at a press conference, and players will not have to commit any time this summer to remain eligible to play in the 2024 Olympics. Hill has received commitments from at least two players with Team USA experience, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, but the roster will likely include several players who have never donned the red, white and blue for the senior team.

Vardon went on to list three players that Kerr has spoken to about potentially playing for Team USA this summer: Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Alex Caruso. Jackson is the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner, and Caruso is considered among the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Bane, on the other hand, is one of the NBA’s best young shooters, and FIBA’s rules differ from the NBA’s in ways that make shooting even more valuable. According to Vardon, Kerr has asked head coaches of other NBA teams if he could speak with their players about playing for Team USA when they visit the Warriors in San Francisco.

The World Cup — which runs from Aug. 25-Sept. 10 this summer — can serve as a means of qualification for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, as seven of the 11 available slots are assigned based on World Cup performance. The highest-finishing nations from Africa, Asia and Oceania all qualify alongside the two highest-finishing nations from Europe and the Americas. The four remaining slots are earned in a qualifying tournament that takes place before the Olympics.

Typically, Team USA…


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Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2023-03-15 14:17:52

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Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report - Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report * Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report | Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report | Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report | Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report | | Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report | | Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report | Steve Kerr has talked to Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Alex Caruso about playing on Team USA, per report