After Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox joined a long list of players withdrawing from consideration to make Team USA’s final 2019 FIBA World Cup roster, there are now 13 players looking to secure one of the 12 slots.
This includes all four Boston Celtics invitees — point guard Kemba Walker, forward Jayson Tatum, swingman Jaylen Brown and combo guard Marcus Smart — who could make up as much as a third of the final roster should they all make the team. However, there won’t be less than three Celtics on Team USA’s finalized roster, barring a surprise late add to the pool of talent vying for a slot.
Who will be the odd man out of the 12-man roster is less easy to predict than a simple numbers game. Nonetheless, with so few point guards, it seems likely that both Walker and Smart will represent Boston in Team USA’s backcourt along with San Antonio Spurs point guard Derrick White, Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell and the Brooklyn Nets’ sharpshooter Joe Harris joining Brown at the two.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ small forward Khris Middleton and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner look poised to join Tatum in locking up starting roles at their respective positions.
As for the reserves, with Bucks center Brook Lopez, Los Angeles Lakers power forward Kyle Kuzma and Kings forward Harrison Barnes filling out the rest of the roster, it would leave Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee the likely cut simply due to his relative lack of skill on either end of the court compared to the other big men competing for a frontcourt slot.
There’s a chance injuries sustained by Smart in Team USA training camp could recur and force the issue for Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich but the Texas native is giving every indication he’s ready to play, at least for now.
Brown might also find himself on the outside looking in but with the loss of Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker (who went out with a leg injury of his own), it appears that his defense will be needed even more than it was previously.
It’s not set in stone until the final cut is made but it’s looking very likely Team Shamrock may actually compete with all four Boston players intact.
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