The 2024 Olympics are over and the U.S. team has once again won the gold medal in men’s basketball. It was a dominant performance by some of the best talent the NBA has to offer and helped the United States take first place in the Olympics.
The entire US team roster was full of NBA players, but not every NBA team was represented on the team. The Portland Trail Blazers were one of the teams that did not have any of their players on the team as they try to become a contender again.
But what about the next Olympic Games? Will current Trail Blazers players be selected to compete for Team USA in the games?
Four years is still a long time, but anything is possible. Portland has some good young talent on the roster who could develop into players the selection committee would like to have on the team.
The three players that come to mind for Portland at this point are guards Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson and rookie center Donovan Clingan.
Clingan is still a rookie this season, so we have no idea how he will fare in the NBA, but if he can reach his potential on both ends of the court, he could be a solid backup for Team USA.
Henderson is an explosive offensive player but has struggled with consistency at various times. He needs to show more on the court for Team USA to even consider him as a piece of the puzzle.
Simons may be the best choice of current Portland players. The young guard has shown he can score well on the court and he has gotten better each season.
Last season with the Trail Blazers, Simons made 38.5 percent of his shots from beyond the three-point line, providing the team with a reliable long-range shooter. He averaged 22.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
If he continues to improve his game, he could be a high-energy backup for Team USA. Simons’ current contract with Portland only has two years left, so a new extension would be needed to make that happen.
It’s probably unlikely that a current member of the Trail Blazers will be on Team USA in 2028, but you should never say never.
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