6:05pm: Those additions are now official, USA Basketball tweets.
11:58am: Nuggets center JaVale McGee has been added to the U.S. Olympic team, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Spurs forward Keldon Johnson will fill the other open roster spot, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
They will take the place of Bradley Beal, who isn’t able to play after being placed in health and safety protocols, and Kevin Love, who withdrew from the team earlier today over concerns about the calf injury that forced him to miss most of the season.
McGee, 33, is a 13-year veteran and a three-time NBA champion. He will provide frontcourt depth for an American team that is loaded with guards and wing players, but is short on rebounders and rim protectors.
Johnson, 21, is coming off a breakthrough season after appearing just 17 games as a rookie. He averaged 12.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists for San Antonio this year while starting 67 of the 69 games he played.
A member of the U.S. Select team that has scrimmaged against the Olympians, Johnson has the advantage of being very familiar with the system run by head coach Gregg Popovich. He had become a favorite of USA Basketball decision makers and staff, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Team USA was down to just six active players before today’s additions as Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton won’t join the team until after the NBA Finals. The Americans will open Olympic play July 25 against France.
Team USA down bad…
Is that the best they can get? I doubt they even make a medal with how the team is built.
Wtf u talking about. The clearly have more talent than any other team in the tournament
Yeah and how did having the most talent go in their first two exhibition losses? They will medal, but gold is becoming more doubtful.
Aye man if u can’t see that this is CLEARLY the gold medal favorites then no logic will change ur mind. Their are more than a few teams capable of beating USA in the Olympics but there’s def no team that would be favorites to beat them. A stronger defensive mindset is gonna be needed for them to succeed but all of the guys on the team are more than capable of tightening up defensively. To say that they won’t medal or that they aren’t gold medal favorites is lunacy
did you watch any of the games? The other teams played harder and better defensive. There are teams in the tournament that have NBA players and international players that are very good.
Yeah ok I guess you can’t take away from them that they are gold medal favorites, that’s fair. But it seemed like the gap for them being favorites dropped with their exhibition play for sure.
Key word “exhibition”
These “exhibition games” the USA team is playing are a far cry from an NBA preseason game where your starters may only play a quarter and a half.
These games are real games that count towards their overall record, even if they have no bearing on the actual upcoming Olympic games.
To not acknowledge that only shows that you HOPE these games aren’t indicative as to how good they actually are. Or aren’t.
Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the preseason and then went 0-16 sooooooo
not preseason again. stop lagging on the overall optics of the whole situation.
Yeah cause that makes sense…have only two actual point guards on the team…? Lillard and Holiday can pass the ball well but aren’t “playmakers”. The closest guy to having that trait is Draymond but he can’t play 40 minutes of guarding their best player and running the entire offense.
If USA wins gold, it will be considered an upset.
Lack of playmakers is definitely not Team USA’s weakness. Defense is their weakest spot but scoring will never be a problem for this team
Well of course defense is a weakness, they are all superstars in a league that isn’t as physical as FIBA and doesn’t require superstars to play lockdown defense on a regular basis. But they took so many iso jumpshots that when watching NIG & AUS beat us, it was clear there was no Chris Paul-type player to collect everyone and run a true offense in the half-court.
Also scoring “efficiently” is a problem. They only put up 87 and 83 vs NIG & AUS. But they will figure it out I’m sure, these USA guys had three days to all practice together. What intrigues me is when the three other guys join the roster right before the Olympics. Will they fit in seamlessly?
They should just sent 11guys if Javale was the best remaining option
Uhh you lost me in the first half
Lol wtf Javale McGee?! I wonder how many guys said no before they landed on him, just bizarre
Kevin Love should just retire at this point.
I’m glad some of you aren’t coaching Team USA! You need defenders and energy guys like this. If you think this team sucks then, well…
Keldon Johnson is a fine young player, but I don’t think I would have put him on a list of the Top 50 USA players. And JaVale McGee would have been even lower.
They still might win gold, but if pro participation is going to be so low that JaVale McGee becomes an option, then we might as well go back to sending college players exclusively.
looks like they’ll be running the spurs offense.
Gold Medal for sure now that Javale McGee is on the team
It’s funny that the selection of JaVale McGee is getting so much criticism. This team, as presently constructed, needed a rim protector/shotblocker/presence in the lane. McGee can provide that. It’s time to remember that putting together a national team isn’t just a collection of superstars. It is putting together players whose skills complement one another. The element he can provide is something they need.
But the question is not “is his skillset needed on the team?” The question is “is JaVale McGee the best person available with that skillset?”
I would think even someone like Nerlens Noel would have been a better pick than McGee.
McGee has been part of the USA Basketball program (see below from USA Today), which weighs heavily in his favor with Jerry Colangelo).
(McGee) was named a member of the USA Basketball 2010-12 men’s national team and participated in the 2019 USA Basketball men’s national team minicamp. He was named a finalist for the 2021 USA national team and U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team on March 11.
Sounds like me calling my ex-girlfriend and asking her over on a night that I can’t find anything better at the bar.
Cmon Noel is not bright. They need someone to learn quickly. Also, that is vaccinated. I read Mcgee is. He is qualified to do what will be asked of him. At least they found someone for it!
All these posters talking about talent… Where they will go, it’s key being vaccinated. Nobody official will say that of course.
If this team doesn’t win gold, Pop needs to go.
He’s not the right coach for a team full of divas.
This much talent shouldn’t lose to the level of international competition.
That falls on coaching and roster selection
Popovich dotes on divas, like he is with Beal… still… he is probably recruiting for the Spurs at this point.
Say what you want about JaVale but the guy has been on 3 NBA championship teams playing the same role that he will be asked to play on team USA. They do not need a star to play that role and he will not expect to get star minutes and touches.
This is a disaster. McGee really?
Ouch they had to dig that deep?
Trae Young should be on this team.
Team USA would definitely win but its not gonna be like a 20 to a 40 point margin like before.
At the end of the day if Booker and Middleton r not exhausted from the finals going 7 then Johnson won’t play much and McGee is just a backup 12th man incase Bam gets in foul trouble early and they r playing a team with a legit big. Still think it would make more sense to bring in a young guy like Mobley or Wiseman as that guy.
australia gonna get a medal without ben simmons.