Burning Questions for Team USA Men’s Basketball at the 2016 Summer Olympics

The biggest question is already settled: The USA men’s Olympic basketball team will win gold in Rio.

Sorry for spoiling the suspense.

Though the list of those not participating features plenty of superstars—Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden—Team USA has more than enough talent to flatten the other 11 teams in the tournament.

When Kyle Lowry, Harrison Barnes and Jimmy Butler are three of the last guys off your bench, you’re going to be fine. And when Kevin Durant is there to take the last shot (on the off chance it ever comes to that), there’s even less to worry about.

Still, before things kick off on Aug. 6 with group play, there are a few issues we’re curious about.

They involve social media contrition, shot impersonations, showboating and Vanessa Carlton.

          

Is Draymond Green a Distraction?

“All you can do in life is learn and move on,” Draymond Green told reporters after making his first apology to Team USA—the one he issued after a July 10 arrest on assault charges.

That situation resolved quickly with a plea agreement, and Green seemed to understand the impact of his behavior.

“Don’t make the same mistakes twice,” he said July 19. “As a public figure, as a guy who is representing this country, it’s bigger than me; it’s bigger than anybody on this team. That’s just the stuff we have to remember.”

So much for that.

Though Green’s second incident hardly rises to the level of an assault charge, his social media gaffe attracted yet another round of embarrassing attention.

Team USA has the luxury of not needing Green, so if all the negative press becomes overwhelming, it can bury him on the bench and let the spotlight shine elsewhere. It’s the Golden State Warriors who should be most concerned with the ongoing string of missteps that also includes a high-speed Snapchat post and a playoff suspension. The Dubs can’t back-burner Green like the U.S. can.

They’ll have to hope he finally makes good on the repeated promises to learn from mistakes.

The only real danger of distraction for Team USA is the rest of the guys devoting too much time to making fun of their pic-posting teammate.

            

Will We See the Lineup of the Future?

It will be hard to get away from playing DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan, both of whom figure to smash international competition with unparalleled size and strength. Team USA could probably shoot something like 20 percent on jumpers and still produce efficient offense behind those two dominating the offensive glass.

At the same time, one of the most intriguing aspects of this roster is its ability to scrap bigs and smalls entirely.

Imagine a five-man unit of Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Klay Thompson, Durant and Green. Butler could swap in for somebody, too, and the positionless quintet would still be perfect.

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