The Team USA scrimmage on Friday night is over after Paul George was injured early in the fourth quarter.
Before the injury, the game was pretty exciting and gave some new insight into who may or may not make the final roster, which will be announced within the next week or so.
Let’s update the roster predictions based on what happened in the game.
The previous predictions were:
Guards:
Stephen Curry
James Harden
Klay Thompson
Kyrie Irving
John Wall
Bradley Beal
Forwards
Kevin Durant
Anthony Davis
Kenneth Faried
Chandler Parsons
Paul George
Centers
DeMarcus Cousins
Davis
Some players played extremely well in the scrimmage, That play was going to be factored into the final roster, Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo told NBA.com before the game.
Derrick Rose did play well and should get on the final roster, leaving a tough choice for the other guards.
Kyle Korver also needs to be added to the roster. He played an excellent game, proving his superior shooting ability. Unfortunately, because I’m a Wizards fan, that seems to leave Bradley Beal off--Beal didn’t play.
DeMar DeRozan also played so well that he should probably get on the final squad. He should replace Kyrie Irving, who didn’t stand out. John Wall should stay because of his speed, defense (anyone catch the block of Damian Lillard?), and great passing.
Gordon Hayward also had a strong game. With Paul George likely off the final roster due to the injury, I‘d add Hayward onto the squad. I’ll also remove Chandler Parsons, who didn’t play very well. Note that DeRozan, Thompson, and James Harden could all spend time at small forward, while Hayward and Kevin Durant could play at power forward.
DeMarcus Cousins did have a strong game and I’m with the crowd who believes he deserves the spot above Miles Plumlee, though Plumlee did play pretty well. Kenneth Faried also showed his energy and he deserves the spot as the third big man.
Here’s the updated roster predictions:
Guards:
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
James Harden (Houston Rockets)
Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)
John Wall (Washington Wizards)
Forwards
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets)
Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz)
Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks)
Centers
DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings)
Davis
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