He can't really stop any of these guys 1v1, but he can definitely annoy, and he's just such a consummate teammate on offense. Just a proven "make the stars around you even better" guy, a perfect know-your-role kind of dude.

I only left him off because it gives the international team a break on defense. Like, Jokic can just defend the rim. Drop coverage. Easy. (And Jokic was a *very* good rim protector this season. It's just away from the rim where he found issues.) And if Jokic is at the rim, that allows Embiid and Giannis to be roving disruptors in the mid-range area and the weak side. I think that's their ideal defensive scenario. I agree that finding five guys who are at least capable of shooting 3s is going to be USA's best bet.

And fwiw, I don't think KD can play Giannis to a standstill. KD can definitely cook offensively any given game, but he ain't slowing down Giannis with Jokic on the perimeter and Embiid in the dunker spot. Maybe a healthy AD can deal with Giannis some, we certainly saw that matchup before... but then I just have no clue how you defend *both* Jokic and Embiid. Especially since Bron's strong defensive days may just be done.