Ban Kairo & Flag reserves a seat? A list of young players who are expected to be selected for the 28-year-old American men s basketball team

(This article was published on August 11, and the author is Adam Finkelstein, a reporter from CBS. The content of the article does not represent the translator's views.)

It has been a year since the US men's basketball team won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With the 2028 Olympics going to be held in Los Angeles in the United States in three years, the United States will face tremendous pressure to strive to win the gold medal for the sixth consecutive time.

However, they may have to achieve this without veterans at the Paris Olympics. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry seem unlikely to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics, at least for now.

Ideally, players such as Anthony Edwards, Jason Tatum, Tyres Halliburton and Bam Adebayo will all return and play an important role in the US men's basketball team. But who can theoretically replace the positions of veteran superstars?

In other words, what young players are likely to make their Olympic debut in 2028 and grow into the backbone of American basketball in the future?

You can bet that Grant Hill is definitely asking himself this question now. Fortunately, we have some suggestions. Here are five players 23 or younger who are expected to be players who have participated in the Olympics multiple times and continue to maintain the tradition of gold medals for American basketball.

1, Ben Keiro

2028 Age: 25 years old

The 22-year-old young player has proved that he is one of the best forwards in the league and is expected to become a representative figure of the future of American basketball. He blends strength, athleticism and self-creation, and these traits in him seem to improve every year. His skill expansion also makes him very suitable for FIBA-style games. In the NBA, he can perform well as a misplaced organizational forward; at the same time, you can also let him play in the No. 5 position to form a small ball lineup with a variety of offensive changes, which can not only punish the opponent's center but also maximize the space. This experience has undoubtedly helped him a lot since joining the American basketball system in 2018 (at the time he was only 15).

2. Flag

Age in 2028: 21 years old

Flag's all-rounder traits are his highlight. Although his freshman season at Duke University has attracted much attention, the most significant area of his progress is his organizational offensive ability. That is, compared to his independent scoring ability, we are more confident in his defense, passing and overall versatility. Although he is now making rapid progress in self-creating scoring, Flag is the ideal core player in the next generation of American basketball because he can influence the game without holding the ball. He is naturally selfless and performs well on weak side defense. Imagine what would it be if he could block the shot on the defensive end and launch his own fast break? We may see this in Los Angeles.

3, Amen Thompson

Age: 26 years old

Amen Thompson is expected to become the world's best defensive player in the near future. If the traditional sense of protecting the basket is excluded, this possibility is even greater. When he is also a top athletic player in the NBA, even if he is poor in shooting, you hope he can join the Olympic team. Being an all-around defender is one thing, and being able to truly defend five positions on the field is another. Amen Thompson and Flag could be the foundations of defensive powerhouses, even in the 2028 US men's basketball second team. On the offensive end, the US needs to configure four shooters around Amen, but the coaching staff can use him as a pick-and-roll screener and let him go quickly after a short pick-and-roll, surrounded by some of the world's best organizers, shooters and aerial relay threats. Additionally, Amen and Flag are almost unrestricted by position, so they offer great bidirectional flexibility from a lineup and tactical perspective.

4, Holmegren

2028 Age: 26 years old

Do you know which type of player Amen is most suitable for partnering with? That should be a big man who can both open up space and effectively protect the basket. Homegren played such a role for NBA champion Thunder at the age of 22 this season, and after three years of physical strengthening, he was also competent in the FIBA game. From two other perspectives, Homegren is also very suitable. First, he is extremely competitive; second, he puts victory first. We've seen other players having difficulties adapting to different roles, but Homegren doesn't need to do that. In short, while his playing style and attitude are perfect for the modern NBA, he may be even more like a fish in FIBA basketball.

5, a future star guard

Holiday and Derek White demonstrated the importance of having top role players in the backcourt. These players are excellent on the defensive end, they are willing to be green leaves when attacking, and can open up space by shooting. Their height advantage in the same position is also a big plus. However, it is not easy to find such players aged 23 and under in the US system. So, over the next three years, we call it "pending" and created a watch list. Sargus may be the strongest contender, but he needs to get back his shooting level like the 2023-24 season, rather than the 2024-25 season.

If Spurs' Castle can become a reliable fixed-point shooter, he has a chance. The same goes for VJ Edgecom, if he can translate his defensive potential into actual performance. Knuppel is very suitable on the offense, but his defense needs to exceed everyone's expectations. Carson Wallace may also make the list in the next few years.

Original text: AdamFinkelstein

Compiled by JayChan