Making the best possible 3x3 team of NBA players who aren't on Team USA

Team USA has been the most dominant force in international basketball for the last several decades. The men's team has won 16 of 19 gold medals in the Olympics. The women's team is 10 for its last 10. That is 5-on-5 competition, though. When shifting to 3-on-3 competition, however, the U.S. has experienced considerably less success.

Well, at least on the men's side. The women's 3x3 team won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and took home silver this summer in Paris. It is the men's 3x3 team that just can't get off the ground. Men's Team USA straight up failed to qualify for the Tokyo games, then went 2-5 in the Paris games, becoming one of two countries to miss the knockout stage.

That is impressively bad for the U.S. of A. Not to get all patriotic, but we should probably be able to field a 3x3 team that can consistently qualify for the Olympics and maybe beat Canada. We can do it. I believe in the great potential of this nation.

We can point to talent as the obvious factor here. The men's U.S. roster — Jimmer Fredette, Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis — features zero active NBA players. Zero college stars. None of the conventionally elite U.S. basketball talent is presently directed toward 3x3 basketball on the men's side.

That is understandable, as it's a completely different game and not nearly as prestigious as the 5x5 tournament (yet). Still, we can aim higher. If the U.S. just puts three quality NBA players on the floor, that probably changes the dynamics of the tournament.

It's also worth noting the extreme difference between 3x3 and 5x5 competition. The 3x3 games are over after 10 minutes or after a team scores 21 points, whichever comes first. Here's an insightful quote from Hailey Van Lith, TCU women's basketball star and U.S. 3x3 player, courtesy of ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

"We only play 10 minutes, so if you look at the first quarter of 5-on-5 games, they're very, very close. And sometimes even the USA is down. So it's a game of who's hot. If our shooters aren't hitting shots and the other team is, no matter how much better we are, we're probably going to lose." (h/t Craig Meyer, USA Today)

It's all about hot shooting and advantage creation, even more so than 5x5 basketball. The floor is inherently more spaced, defense is of course more challenging (or perhaps less important), and the value of 3s skyrockets in a game predicated on reaching 21 points as fast as possible.

So. Let's build this roster. Three starters and a reserve.

Starter: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

The priorities in 3x3 basketball are speed, shot-making, and advantage creation. Teams are not trotting out lumbering rim protectors, as it's simply less effective in such a free-wheeling, up-tempo environment. Essentially, the U.S. just needs to send as many twitchy, high-scoring guards as possible. Overwhelm the competition with speed and skill.

Donovan Mitchell probably wants (and deserves) a spot on the 5x5 squad, so this will never happen. But let's say for a moment it does. He is probably the platonic ideal for what we're looking for. Nobody in the 3x3 tournament can combat Mitchell's speed and strength driving to the rim, but he can also bury a flurry of 3s on a whim. He is going to get the defense rotating and hit tough, clutch shots.

Starter: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

Just inexplicably fast and well-suited to an up-tempo game, Tyrese Maxey should flourish in 3x3 competition. He's another strong candidate to join the 5x5 squad in four years, but for now, we can fantasize about Maxey attacking empty pockets of space and drilling 3s at a prodigious clip in condensed, 10-minute games where his exceptional conditioning can really shine.

Maxey and Mitchell are maybe too small for the NBA, even for standard FIBA competition, but this duo should tear the globe's 3x3 rosters asunder. It wouldn't be fair.

Starter: Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Chet Holmgren does not fall into the category of 'lumbering rim protector.' He's basically a 3x3 cheat code, perfectly comfortable bombing 3s and creating off of straight-line drives, but also a dominant, space-vacuuming interior defender with a 7-foot-6 wingspan and unmatched instincts.

Holmgren can muck up the opposing offense, deter drives to the basket, and still guard one-on-one on the perimeter, often all at the same time. He's going to have a size advantage (if not a strength advantage) in all these games, he's one of the most skilled "bigs" in the NBA, and he should come into plenty of easy baskets with Mitchell and Maxey attacking from the perimeter.

Reserve: Cooper Flagg, Duke

Honestly, Cooper Flagg is exactly what the 3x3 team needs to glue this all together. He provides some size at 6-foot-9, but he's not a stick in the mud. He can defend guards on an island, protect the rim with razor-sharp instincts, and contribute across the board offensively.

Flagg has some serious shooting dynamism in his back pocket, but he also processes the game quickly and supplies elite connective instincts as a passer and screener. Mitchell and Maxey can supply plenty of buckets. Flagg brings it all together. He, too, is probably on the 5x5 squad in four years, but let a man dream.