Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker emerge as candidates to join Team USA’s core

USA Men’s Basketball squad forthe Paris Olympics is starting to take shape.

According to Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Boston Celticsguard Jrue Holiday and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker are emergingas candidates to play for Team USA in the Olympic Games this summerin Paris.

Holiday and Booker, who wereboth part of the 2021 iteration of Team USA that won the gold medalin Tokyo, have been heavily pursued by USA Basketball. Teamofficials value Holiday’s two-way ability, point-of-attack defense anddynamic playmaking as well as Booker’s three-level scoring, according toCharania and Vardon.

Although the final roster is notset, USA Basketball officials mentioned Holiday and Booker as heavyconsiderations to make the team. Superstars LeBron James, StephenCurry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum are expected tobe Team USA's core. It would be the first time that James, Curry andDurant teamed up on the international stage.

Like Holiday and Booker, Tatumwas part of the gold medal-winning team in 2021, while Embiidcommitted to play for Team USA last July over France and his homecountry Cameroon.

2023 FIBA World Cup participantsAnthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton are also names to bemonitored for the squad after their impressive performances.Although Team USA had a disappointing fourth-place finish, Edwardsand Haliburton emerged as the best players in Manila.

Previous Olympic gold medalwinners Anthony Davis (London 2012) and Bam Adebayo (Tokyo 2021)are also being considered for additional big man depth behindEmbiid.