Tag: Jaren Jackson Jr.

Ranking the Top 10 big men for Team USA if Joel Embiid declines invitation to Paris Olympics in 2024

Anthony Davis is the top option but there are some interesting sleepers, too.

After shockingly failing to medal during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA has lots of questions to answer before the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

One of the reasons why Team USA struggled to even earn a bronze medal was due to a lack of size in the frontcourt. They struggled on the defensive end of the floor and had a massive deficiency when it came to rebounding the ball.

This is a team that will need legitimate big men in order to compete with tough international talent in the post such as Serbia’s Nikola Jokic as well as France’s Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr was asked about what changes may come before the Olympics and he mentioned that the team needed to have very specific intentions when it came to the types of big men they would target for the roster (via The Athletic):

“I think it’s a worthwhile point of discussion, but the discussion has to go to, ‘OK, then who is that?” […] “You can’t just say, we’re going to have size for size’s sake. You have to have players who are going to help you win, and you have to determine who those guys are. It’s not just the size, it’s the way the game is played. […] But I don’t think it’s as simple as saying it’s just size. I think you have to examine who you’re talking about if you go down that path.”

Of course, the first name that comes to mind is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. He could join the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped lead Team USA to win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta after he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

The six-time All-Star is an international free agent who is eligible to play for Team Cameroon (after they clinched a spot to compete in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament) as well as Team France and Team USA.

Team USA managing director Grant Hill said Embiid “knows our desire” to have him on the team. According to Brian Windhorst, however, it’s too early to assume that the league’s reigning MVP will decide to actually suit up for the Americans at the 2024 Olympics in Paris (via ESPN):

“Team USA has done some recruiting of Joel Embiid, who holds both United States and French citizenship, but the Philadelphia 76ers star has thus far been noncommittal.”

So if Team USA is not able to successfully recruit Embiid, here are the other top options that they could consider:

Anthony Edwards mocked Jaren Jackson Jr. mid-dunk for getting out of way in Team USA practice

Anthony Edwards is an elite trash talker.

As Team USA has been practicing for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the team has certainly been having a little fun with the tournament prep.

During a scrimmage this week, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards got some playful trash-taking in at Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. as the latter got out of the way as Edwards dunked the ball.

“Jump! Ain’t you Defensive Player of the Year?” Edwards quipped to Jackson during the practice session, which likely fueled more friendly competition between these two on the court.

While Jackson was indeed the NBA’s top defensive player last season, it clearly won’t stop Edwards from getting some amicable trolling in on the practice floor.

Hey, Edwards is as good at trash-talking as he is at basketball, and we bet that Jackson won’t go easy on him on the next possession.

However, the two will be teammates cheering each other on in the Basketball World Cup sooner than later.

Jaren Jackson Jr. was voted as Team USA’s best player at FIBA World Cup training camp

Jaren Jackson Jr. is an important player for Team USA.

After four days of training camp before the FIBA World Cup, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. was voted as the best player for Team USA.

Jackson, an NBA All-Star and the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is projected to slot in the starting lineup. The big man is expected to play alongside Brandon Ingram, Mikal Bridges, Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson.

According to The Athletic, the end result “was a landslide” with Jackson chosen as the standout performer. Other players who received multiple votes included Brunson and Haliburton as well as Josh Hart.

RELATED: Here are the 12 Team USA players heading to the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines

Team USA lost against the Select Team during one of the scrimmages in Las Vegas. But this reportedly also happened in 2019 before the Americans won the gold medal, too.

If his team is going to have similar success in this tournament, Jackson’s impact on both sides of the ball will play a massive role.

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Jaren Jackson Jr. voted the best player in FIBA World Cup training camp by Team USA

Jaren Jackson Jr. voted the best player in FIBA World Cup training camp by Team USA

Is it possible that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and a 2022-23 NBA All-Star is poised for a big breakout year? Seems crazy to think, but that might be the case for Jaren Jackson Jr., who was voted as the best player in FIBA World Cup training camp by his peers this weekend.

Jackson, a former star for Michigan State, and Team USA have been working hard in scrimmages against the USA Select team this past week, and his teammates were clearly impressed by his performance, naming him the best player over big names like Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram, Tyrese Haliburton, and others.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Dillon Brooks draws comparisons between current Rockets, late 2010s Grizzlies

Dillon Brooks tells @JTGatlin that he sees parallels between the current #Rockets and his former team, the Grizzlies: “I feel like it’s almost the exact same team from three, four years ago.”

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Newly signed Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks was drafted by Memphis in 2017, and those rebuilding Grizzlies went on to finish 22-60. Over the next few years, though, Memphis gradually improved from cellar dweller to mediocrity, and then from mediocrity to the upper tier of the Western Conference.

That’s a template Brooks would love for his new team, which, coincidentally, just wrapped up its own 22-60 season, to follow. In a summer-league interview, Brooks made an analogy comparing Jalen Green to Ja Morant; Jabari Smith Jr. to Jaren Jackson Jr.; and Brooks, presumably, as himself in both scenarios.

Via Jackson Gatlin of Locked on Rockets:

I feel like it’s almost the exact same team from three, four years ago. They have the same type of players. Jalen Green is like Ja Morant. Jabari (Smith Jr.) is like Jaren Jackson Jr. These are young guys that can expand their games to be one of the best, or the best, in the league.

If Brooks’ analogy proves anything close to accurate, the Rockets should be in a great spot with their rebuild, since they also have several other highly intriguing prospects in their young core: Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore.

Brooks, of course, will be relied upon for toughness, wing defense and filling in the gaps as a veteran leader of sorts.

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WATCH: Jaren Jackson Jr. talks Michigan State basketball brotherhood

Jaren Jackson Jr. went in depth on the brotherhood surrounding Michigan State basketball:

Many people know of the brotherhood and family atmosphere Tom Izzo has built in East Lansing with the Michigan State basketball program. Almost every player that comes through the Spartan program echoes how great of a family atmosphere there is within the program.

Former MSU star, and current Memphis Grizzlies star, Jaren Jackson Jr. joined in on that line of thinking, and shared recently on a podcast about that brotherhood including a story about Draymond Green.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

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Jaren Jackson Jr. to play for team USA in FIBA World Cup

Jaren Jackson Jr. will be playing for team USA in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Upon the release of team USA’s roster for the upcoming FIBA World Cup it has now became known that former Michigan State star Jaren Jackson Jr. will be playing for the United States in the tournament.

The tournament is set to begin on August 25th and will be hosted by the nations of Japan, Philippines and Indonesia.

The United States will be a part of Group C along with Greece, Jordan and New Zealand. All of the games will be played at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

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Austin Reaves set to join Team USA for 2023 FIBA World Cup

Oklahoma alum Austin Reaves set to play for Team USA in upcoming FIBA World Cup.

Fresh off the best season of his professional career, Austin Reaves continues his ascent. While his Los Angeles Lakers team bowed out in the conference finals to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets, Reaves, will join Team USA for the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines.

Reaves is one of 10 players already confirmed for the roster. He joins Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz), Brandon Ingram (New Orleans, Jaren Jackson Jr (Memphis Grizzlies), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets.

Reaves figures to be an effective option off the bench for Team USA, and he’s a natural fit as with his ability to fill various roles. He can play on and off the ball as a scoring option and be the initiator like he was alongside LeBron James with the Lakers. He’ll be able to do the same thing for Team USA, with guys like Haliburton and Brunson playing as primary playmakers for the first unit.

The 25-year-old is coming off a career year, averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists a night on 53 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent from three, and 86 percent from the charity stripe.

He also had a big postseason run, solidifying himself as the Lakers third best player, which included 21.2 points per game in the Lakers’ matchup against the Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals.

In addition to his Teasm USA selection, Reaves will be the focal point of significant contract discussions as he enters unrestricted free agency. Reaves could command just under a $100 million contract somewhere in the range of a four-year deal worth a maximum of just under $98 million. The Lakers could match it, or they could pass. On top of that, Reaves and Chinese company Rigorer are finalizing a signature shoe deal that is expected to reach well over seven figures per year per Stadium’s Shams Charania.

For now, Reaves will focus on his role for Team USA and let[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368] everything else to fall into place.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Team USA roster: Here are the players heading to the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines

Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards and Mikal Bridges are the headliners.

The U.S. men’s national team is headed to the Philippines to participate in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the roster will have many new faces.

The United States had a stacked roster (including James Harden, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving) and won a gold medal during the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

But, while led by Donovan Mitchell as well as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the United States failed to medal during the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.

Quite a lot has changed since then, however, with Steve Kerr replacing Gregg Popovich as the head coach. Meanwhile, under the leadership of Grant Hill instead of longtime director Jerry Colangelo, NBA players are reportedly no longer required to “try out” for Team USA.

The Americans who were tapped for the roster will play their first game against New Zealand on August 26. They will then face off against Greece, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, on Aug. 28.

Team USA (-180) is currently the favorite to win the tournament, per DraftKings. Serbia (+800), Greece (+900) and Slovenia (+1000) are also projected with the next-best odds.

Based on reporting so far, here are the 10 players who will be heading to the Philippines. Expect two more NBA players (potentially Desmond Bane and Alex Caruso) to commit to the roster before the official roster is announced.

WATCH: Jaren Jackson Jr. explains why he chose Michigan State basketball

Jaren Jackson Jr. explains why he chose Michigan State in an interview with Paul George

Jaren Jackson Jr. is coming off a season where he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Before becoming a star for the Memphis Grizzlies, he was one of Tom Izzo’s biggest recruits ever at MSU.

This week, Jackson was on Podcast P with Paul George, and Paul George asked him about Izzo and why Jackson chose Michigan State. JJJ gave an interesting answer to that question, which you can hear below:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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