I’m glad the roster for the US Olympic basketball team was recently unveiled because I’ve had trouble feeding my basketball addiction over the past couple weeks. Refreshing Twitter over and over reading free agency rumors has gotten pretty old, as has watching NBA compilation videos on YouTube.

I was recently playing NBA 2K on my Xbox, a comforting hobby for me during this NBA-less time of year, and I was having trouble figuring out who to sub into the game during a timeout. As I was pouring over in-game stats, a thought struck me. If I’m having such a hard time deciding substitutions in a video game, can you imagine the trouble Coach Mike Krzyzewski will have deciding the same thing with a roster full of basketball superstars on the world’s biggest stage?

During a timeout in NBA 2K, you have the option of substituting entire lineups onto the floor, whether it be your best three point shooting lineup or your best defensive lineup. This feature really got me thinking about all the lineup options Coach K will have at his disposal in the Olympics. I decided to put myself into his shoes, in order to better understand how the United States will play in certain situations come August.

Let’s fiddle with this lineup, shall we?

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Point Guard:

Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers) - 1st Olympic appearance

Kyle Lowry (Raptors) - 1st Olympic appearance

Shooting Guard:

Jimmy Butler (Bulls) - 1st Olympic appearance

DeMar DeRozan (Raptors) - 1st Olympic appearance

Klay Thompson (Warriors) - 1st Olympic appearance

Small Forward:

Carmelo Anthony (Knicks) - 4th Olympic appearance

Harrison Barnes (Warriors) - 1st Olympic appearance

Kevin Durant (Thunder) - 2nd Olympic appearance

Paul George (Pacers) - 1st Olympic appearance

Power Forward:

Draymond Green (Warriors) - 1st Olympic appearance

Center:

DeMarcus Cousins (Kings) - 1st Olympic appearance

DeAndre Jordan (Clippers) - 1st Olympic appearance

This roster is very inexperienced in terms of Olympic play but most of these players are not new to international competition overall. Irving, DeRozan, Thompson, and Cousins were all part of the Gold Medal 2014 FIBA World Cup US Team and numerous other players have played on the US Olympic Select Team in the past, a team that trains with the Olympic team to get them ready for the big stage.

As you can see, Coach K has a team full of small-ball players and will have to adjust his lineups accordingly in order to make the most out of their versatility and length. If Coach K were playing 2K and called a timeout to make substitutions, he would have to choose from these lineup options: the tallest lineup, quickest lineup, best three point shooting lineup, best free throw shooting lineup, and best defensive lineup.

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Let’s go over some options for this squad, beginning with the starting five:

Starting

PG: Kyrie Irving

SG: Klay Thompson

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Draymond Green

C: DeMarcus Cousins

I think that Coach K will go the Steve Kerr route and start an actual center at the center position before quickly subbing in a small forward. Kerr would always start Andrew Bogut at center and then quickly sub in Andre Iguodala for him. Draymond Green would slide to the center spot and Iggy would takeover at power forward. 

Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony are interchangeable in regards to starting but whoever doesn’t start will definitely be subbed in for Cousins. The lineup will then look like this shortly after the substitution:

PG: Kyrie Irving

SG: Klay Thompson

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Carmelo Anthony

C: Draymond Green

Cousins played very well during the 2014 FIBA World Cup and I can see him making a big impact on the boards when he gets playing time in the Olympics. However, the entire world seems to be leaning more towards small ball lineups so Cousins and fellow center DeAndre Jordan might be riding the bench for long periods of time.

Tall

PG: Paul George

SG: Carmelo Anthony

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: DeMarcus Cousins

C: DeAndre Jordan

Most basketball coaches wouldn’t sub in a lineup based solely on height, since they worry too much about matchups and chemistry. But, since this in an option in NBA 2K, it’s now an imaginary option for Coach K.

There isn’t a true point guard on the floor in this lineup, which might be a problem offensively, but this lineup would have no problem playing defense. They’re tall, long, and scary. I say scary only because Boogie Cousins is on the floor and I wouldn’t mess with that guy for a million bucks.

Quick

PG: Kyrie Irving

SG: Jimmy Butler

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Carmelo Anthony

C: Draymond Green

Here’s another lineup that has more to do with NBA 2K and video games than real life. No coach is going to say, “alright, the quickest 5 guys, get on the court.” He’d be laughed off the bench for making such a suggestion. But alas, this is another lineup option in 2K so we’re going to roll with it.

Kyrie Irving is the quickest guy on this roster so he’s going to start at point guard. Jimmy Butler’s pretty darn quick, as is Kevin Durant, so they made the cut. Carmelo Anthony and Draymond Green were both tough choices for me because I’ve seen how quick Demarcus Cousins’ crossovers can be when he’s matched up against a big guy. But, I think Melo still has the quickness to get by defenders and jab step for a setback jumper. Green is apart of this roster because he’ll be much quicker than a lot of big men he will go up against. 

Three Point

PG: Kyrie Irving

SG: Klay Thompson

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Carmelo Anthony

C: DeMarcus Cousins

Now here is a real scenario that comes up in games all the time. Your team is down by two and you're going for the kill with a three ball. Who are the best three point shooters on your team and why aren’t they already on the court?

As we know from recent memory, Kyrie Irving can make three pointers (*cough* NBA Finals game winner *COUGH*). Klay Thompson is also a shoe-in, as he’s already a top 5 three point shooter in my book. Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony are proven threats from the outside so they also made this lineup. 

For the center position, I was going to go with Draymond Green, even with his inconsistencies from deep, because he was able to step up and make threes in the biggest game of his life in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

BUT. How great would it be to see Boogie Cousins make a game winning three in the Olympics? The man has improved his outside shooting this past NBA season and I would love to see what his celebration would be if he made the shot. Would he swing his arms wildly in celebration and accidentally punch an opposing player or a ref in the face? GIVE BOOGIE THE BALL!

Free Throw

PG: Kyrie Irving

SG: Klay Thompson

SF: Jimmy Butler

PF: Paul George

C: Kevin Durant

The United States is up by 1 with 14 seconds left. The opposing team is clearly going to foul us to put us at the line. Who’s going into the game to be one of five players to potentially shoot the game clinching free throws?

The players I chose for this lineup all shot over 80% from the line last season, with Irving and Durant basically shooting 90%. This seems like a good lineup if we’re in need of some clutch free throws at the end of a game. Butler and Melo are interchangeable so why not give Butler some minutes, eh?

Defense

PG: Klay Thompson

SG: Paul George

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Draymond Green

C: DeAndre Jordan

Now for this scenario, the United States is down 2 with 37 seconds left. All we have to do is play defense for one possession in order to get the ball back to call a timeout. Who’s playing the best defense at the most important time?

Klay Thompson was the Warriors’ second best outside defender in the playoffs so he’ll start at point guard (sorry Kyrie). Paul George and Kevin Durant are super long and have always been able to bother opposing players so they’ll be out there with the game on the line.

Draymond Green is Draymond Green, it doesn’t matter who he’s going up against. His will to win and to be the best will be his strongest trait when he’s guarding an opposing player at the end of the shot clock.

With his lack of offensive versatility coupled with his terrible free throw shooting, I’m not sure how much we’ll see of DeAndre Jordan these Olympics. However, he did finish second in total rebounds and blocks this past NBA season so I decided to include him in this lineup, even if that means he’ll be switched onto a quicker guard out on the perimeter, which might not end well. But hey, he’s super-duper long and is quite the bother for jump shooters and inside scorers alike.

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These lineup decisions were tough because this Olympic roster is just so jam-packed with All-Star talent. Many players could have been flip-flopped in certain lineups, but I think I got the gist of what Coach K is going to go through when these situations arise.

A question that we will hopefully never have to answer is who will take the last shot when we’re losing in the final seconds?

So many guys, from Kyrie to Durant to Melo, have proven time and time again that they can be trusted with the ball in crunch time. Durant and Melo have been knocking down big shots their entire careers and oh yeah, Kyrie’s pretty clutch as well — just ask the three Warriors on the roster. 

Since Kyrie made such a monumental shot in Game 7, I think Coach K will look his way to make another big bucket. Kyire’s also a Duke alumnus, Coach K probably can’t resist!

Coach Mike Krzyzewski will once again have his hands full during these Olympics but his experience with stacked teams, both in international play and at Duke, makes me think the United States will be alright. Bring home the gold, gentlemen!

‘Merica!