Piece by Anthony Del Trecco
Obviously, the Olympic roster is full of talent. There is a reason why the US has been so dominant. The NBA players sent make up the best in the world, and the rest of the world can’t send enough talent to compete. Teams in the past with have included the likes of Jordan, Bird, Garnett, Magic, Kobe, and the list goes on. Don’t forget the Dream Team never even had to take a time out as the crused to victory. But this team is somewhat lacking in a certain area, the center position.
Bam Adebayo was listed as the only center on the roster when he mostly plays as a power forward. Brook Lopez had been tied to the roster at first and it looked like he was going to go. However, he was not included in the final roster. The only other player on the roster with experience playing center is Draymond Green, who is on the roster as a forward. Lopez has been very successful during the playoffs and feasted on the Hawks at times. He is shown he can be dominant, so why was he left off the roster after being considered a favorite and a finalist?
Bam is a great player, but sometimes youth can lead to foul trouble. That point was made as a case to add Lopez to the roster. Since he is a true center, Lopez even if he didn’t start would provide experience off the bench and help if Bam gets into foul trouble. There have been no indications or reports of why he was excluded. No doubt he would have provided chemistry with Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton already on the team. Something about this situation is just not making sense. Regardless, Adebayo, Green, and Kevin Love will play center for the team.
It probably won’t make a difference and the US will most likely do well with or without Lopez. But there have been some occasions when other countries have taken them down to the wire, and the inexperience of Adebayo could be a subtle yet important factor to consider if the game gets tight.