With most of the stars sitting out of Thursday's exhibition game, a lot of young players got a chance to show what they can offer to USA Basketball. Depending on which players commit to play in Rio next year, it may be tough for some of these young guys to make the final 12.
Still, I liked what I saw from some of the younger players in the USA Basketball pipeline.
Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond played pretty well. He’ll have to beat out a lot of older big men to earn a spot on the team, but if one or two guys back out he can be the first one to get the call. He displayed a lot of athleticism and aggressiveness in Thursday night's scrimmage, attacking the rim on offense and defense. Drummond is not a new era fitness big man, he’s cut from the old school cloth. He’s big and physical, a skill set that can really come in use when facing a team like Spain.
A couple young guards really had a nice showing, further making their case to be included on the final 12. Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors started off the game blazing hot from beyond the arc. Beal is one of the best shooters in the league and showed that he can contribute with his sniper like long ball. It will be tough for him to make the squad with veterans James Harden and Klay Thompson probably taking two spots. But if someone is injured in the upcoming season, I wouldn't be surprised to see Beal get a shot at the 12-man roster.
DeRozan would have a better shot making the 12 man with his ability to play shooting guard and small forward. I can see DeRozan making the squad if LeBron James and or Kevin Durant are either injured or decide not to play. DeRozan showed he can knock down the long back and he’s also one of the most athletic wings in the game. His game fits a lot better with the team USA mold and he’d be a good fill in if one of the better wings can’t participate.
Finally Michael Carter-Williams, point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Victor Oladipo, shooting guard for the Orlando Magic, put on a show in the second half. It'll be extremely hard for these two to make the final 12 but they played outstanding basketball on Thursday. Carter-Williams would be a fun addition to Team USA. With his length and athleticism, he’d create a lot of mis matches in international play. But with the team so deep at point guard, there would have to be a couple injuries/back outs for him to make it.
Same situation with Oladipo, he’s a very athletic wing that will turn a break away into a highlight in the blink of an eye. But with two guards like Harden and Thompson as well as DeRozan, I don’t see him getting on the final 12.
My MVP would have to be Drummond, his contributions on both side of the floor will really make the decision in the front court a hard one. Drummond totaled 27 points and 16 rebounds when it was all said and done with three fourths of those 27 points being rim shaking slams.