The 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is coming up later this month, and the men’s basketball tournament will be among the most popular attractions as always. In this preview, we will take a look at the favorites, a sleeper, and a long shot to win the gold medal in men’s basketball. Read on more about them below.
Yeah, sure, the Americans have lost two games against Nigeria and Australia in exhibition games in Las Vegas, but at the end of the day, Team USA is the benchmark of basketball supremacy in the world. It’s just a matter of getting it all together for this team and being more accustomed to playing with each other, which is the point of those exhibition contests. Even without the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, Team USA’s roster looks formidable, to say the least. The team is led by no other than Kevin Durant, who will be a mismatch nightmare on the international stage. Walking buckets like Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Damian Lillard will also be in Tokyo to provide additional firepower. If there’s anything to worry about this team, it’s that its frontcourt is a bit slim, but Durant, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love are still an imposing trio up front.
The Spaniards will be sending an armada of talent to Tokyo. Spain has always been a thorn in the side of the Americans and the other top teams in the world on the international stage, especially since the turn of the millennium. This team is stacked with talent as well, with a number of NBA players fronting it. Marc Gasol isn’t the young big man anymore, but he can certainly still get the job done. A more mature Ricky Rubio, aided by a rich experience from all the years he’s played for Spain, will be the top playmaker for the backcourt. Even Pau Gasol will be there in probably his last hurrah for Spain. Ranked second in the world, Spain has medaled in each of the last three cycles of the Olympics, including in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 where they won the bronze.
The Nigerians have been making lots of noise of late, thanks in large part to their shocking win over Team USA in an exhibition game in Las Vegas. This is a team full of confidence. After all, they have Mike Brown as the head coach and bannered by a lot of players currently on NBA rosters. Precious Achiuwa, Kezie Okpala, Miye Oni, Josh Okogie, Jordan Nwora, Ekpe Udoh, Chima Moneke, Jahlil Okafor, and Gabe Vincent are just some of the players NBA fans are familiar with.
Japan is making its first appearance in the Olympics since 1976, as they qualify for the tournament automatically as the host. Despite their long odds, the Japanese have zero plans of being lunch for the stronger teams on the field. They have some NBA players on the roster too in Yuta Watanabe and Rui Hachimura. Also don’t sleep on the speedy Yudai Baba, who just won a championship in Australia’s NBL with Melbourne United.
Writer’s Prediction
Team USA wins the gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics men’s basketball tournament.
