The upcoming tilt between the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers is somewhat of a dress rehearsal. While the NBA regular season contest between Cleveland and Brooklyn will take place at Accor Arena, the nearby venue, Bercy Arena, is set to stage the Paris 2024 Olympic basketball finals later this year. One player worth keeping an eye on to play for Team USA in 2024 is Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell.
Sure, plenty of international scouts will pay attention to Mitchell in Paris and all season long. But, for Mitchell, playing on the stage that'll serve as a precursor to the Gold Medal match is just extra motivation.
“That's the goal,” said Mitchell to reporters in Paris on Wednesday. “That's the goal: to come back here and be here this summer for sure.
“It means the world to play for Team USA and to be a part of that, representing your country. The memory I have is losing. We lost to France and Serbia, so I would love to find a way to bounce back and get to go.”
Donovan Mitchell, Cavs Players in 2024 Olympics?
Donovan Mitchell did disclose to the media that while Team USA hasn't contacted him directly, he expects to have those conversations closer to the end of Cleveland's 2023-24 campaign. While the Cavs superstar seems like a legitimate candidate to represent the United States in Paris, Mitchell may not be the lone Cleveland representative.
Like Mitchell, Jarrett Allen has not been contacted by Team USA directly regarding playing in Paris this summer. Also, like his superstar teammate, Allen is also very open to the opportunity to play for Team USA during the 2024 Summer Olympiad.
“It would be nice,” said Allen to reporters in Paris on Wednesday. “Everybody's goal is to play for their home country. It would be amazing to represent them.”
Even though they aren't available to speak publicly on it due to being out with injury, sources say that Darius Garland and Evan Mobley could also be in the mix to play for Team USA this summer. But, with other candidates like LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry all viable options to represent the United States, players like Garland, Mobley, or Allen could also not make the final squad, which is limited to 12 players. Also, Team USA is ranked first globally after losing to Germany and France in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. So, the demand for Cleveland's key players can and will only go so far.
That's why you see players like Cavs forward Max Strus looking to play elsewhere on the international stage. After clarifying that his Wikipedia article wrongly states he's Polish, Strus set the record straight in a Parisian media scrum on his possible Olympic intent.
“I'm Slovenian and German and I wouldn't be opposed to playing for either of those teams,” said Strus. “But Germany is pretty good, so I don't think they'd need me.”
Considering Slovenia is ranked 11th worldwide after getting blown out by Canada in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, they'll definitely take Strus up on his offer. Meanwhile, Germany is currently ranked third in the world, despite recently winning the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, they might consider adding Strus to their roster as well. Regardless, when it's time for the Olympic selection process to begin, the Cavs will be well-represented on the global stage.
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