Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has already made his intentions to play for Team USA abundantly clear, but despite a seventh-place finish at the FIBA World Cup a few weeks ago, he's still unequivocally confident the Americans are still the hunted rather than the hunters:

“We're still the best,” Curry told ESPN's Nick Friedell. “If we get the guys that are supposed to be there, in terms of, you know, representing us in the Olympic stage and the commitment's been there, and I think it'll be there next year.”

NBA players are mostly American — hence a more extensive pool of All-NBA, All-Star, and stud-level players to choose from. Yet part of what made Team USA such a force at the international level was the continuity and camaraderie that former teams had with each other — something that helped them get that extra edge over some of the best countries in the world.

That continuity became nonexistent with the most recent team, who had only the better part of six weeks to get acquainted with one another and play a brand of basketball that was just getting through the gears in the first year under new coach Gregg Popovich.

If Curry is healthy enough to participate in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it would represent a massive upgrade in firepower. But they will need not only the star power from some of the most recognizable NBA faces, but the right fit to play under this system as players won't have the luxury of practicing together for more than a few weeks.