Grant Hill reveals Team USA plans for Paolo Banchero, Joel Embiid / News - Basketnews.com

Grant Hill, the managing director of Team USA, spoke about the plans that the national team has for Rookie of The Year Paolo Banchero and MVP Joel Embiid, both candidates to join Team USA.

Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports, AP Photo/Chuck Burton, AP Photo/Matt Slocum- Scanpix Credit Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports, AP Photo/Chuck Burton, AP Photo/Matt Slocum- Scanpix

In an interview with the Italian newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport", Grant Hill, the managing director of Team USA, spoke at length about the future plans of the American national team and which players we might soon see with the stars and stripes colors.

Joel Embiid

Team:Philadelphia 76ersPosition:CAge:29Height:213 cmWeight:113 kgBirth place:Yaounde, CameroonProfileNewsStatistics

Hill, a former NBA star, first focused on the future of Paolo Banchero. The Orlando Magic power forward, who was recently nominated as the Rookie of The Year, has both American and Italian citizenship but hasn't made a final decision on his commitment regarding International basketball.

"Paolo is a player that I know extremely well," Hill commented. "I've followed his college basketball career and I was able to see his progress this season as a rookie multiple times since I live in Orlando. Paolo is an extraordinary talent and he's already a top player in the league. For sure, he's one of those players that we're following for the World Cup and also for the future of Team USA."

"We know that he has different options but we're optimistic about our chances," he continued. "I had multiple conversations with his entourage and I can say that there's mutual interest. We want him to be part of the national team in the coming years, maybe starting from the World Cup already."

Hill also commented on the situation of Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP. The Philadelphia 76ers star has recently received an American passport but in the recent past, he also showed interest in playing for the French national team.

"I've known Joel for many years, he's a very smart person and has an unbelievable talent. Even Joel has multiple options on his table," Hill explained. "We'd be happy to have him with us, that's for sure. But let's give him a bit of time and see what's going to happen."

Team USA's top executive also shared his opinion about the upcoming FIBA World Cup and which teams might become the strongest opponents for Team USA.

"The World Cup is a very tough competition, there are going to be a lot of good teams," Hill said. "We cannot underestimate anyone. On paper, teams like France and Canada will be among the strongest ones, we'll see. What I can say for sure is that international basketball is very unpredictable and we must be ready to adapt to FIBA basketball."

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