James is such a front-runner that he’s probably online covertly ordering the Warriors championship DVD as we speak. It seems, though, that we won’t have to deal with him assembling a mini-super team for the 2020 Olympics when the 3-on-3 tournament debuts.
Even though LeBron will be 35 when the Toyko Games commence, he’s still likely to be a member of the conventional US men’s basketball roster then. He says he’s not planning to play the 3-on-3 as of now, so I suppose that means no US Banana Boat roster with his fellow scrappy underdogs Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul.
The biggest names seem unlikely to participate in the 3-on-3 due to the chance to play on Dream Team XLVII or whatever it is, but that doesn’t mean the new tournament won’t be a blast. The rules in the halfcourt game favor quality shooting – conventional 2-pointers are worth 1, while 3s are worth 2, meaning a 3-pointer is in essence a 4-pointer in this format.
There is also a 12-second shot clock, which means the ability to create a good shot quickly is important. And the games are just 10 minutes long, so there’s no time to calibrate your shot and shoot the way out of a slow start. It probably would be ideal to have a rim-protector who is also a knock-down shooter, but Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant will probably be tied up with 5-on-5 obligations, and there aren’t five other players in the world who fit that profile right now.
For a hoops junkie who wishes the season had extended two more games, thinking about what the 3-on-3 tournament might look like is a decent way to kill time until the NBA Draft next week. I know, the 3-on-3 is still three years away, and the greatest players now may not be the greatest players then.
(I have 2020 as Markelle Fultz’s first MVP season, which is apparently two years after he thinks he’s first winning the MVP based on what he tells Tracy McGrady in that commercial.)
So for the fun of it, here are a few intriguing potential 3-on-3 rosters that I’d like to see if the tournament were firing up this summer:
Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson: Obviously. It’s not whether they would lose. It’s whether anyone else would score on them. Especially if it’s make-it-take-it. And it should be.
Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka: The 2012 Thunder, Non-KD division, reunite. Actually, Westbrook is a 3-on-3 team all by himself. Heck, so is Harden.
Westbrook, Harden, Kyrie Irving: In case you’ve ever wondered what full-on iso-ball looked like in a 3-on-3 setting.
Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Gordon Hayward: You get where I’m going with this. And Horford would be a 3-on-3 killer. Did anyone notice he shot 51.9 percent from 3 in the playoffs?
Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker: One is retired, another may soon be, and the third is injured … and they would still destroy the younger fellas with passing, savvy and poise.
Rajon Rondo, Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade: Just to watch the horrible body language of the two players who don’t have the ball at a given moment.
Rondo, Marcus Smart, Dwight Howard: If you’ve ever wondered what a 1-0 overtime 3-on-3 game would look like, here’s your answer.
Lonzo and LaVar Ball: They’re so good, they don’t need a third. Just ask the old man.
Chad Finn can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeChadFinn.
