Team USA Is In A Great Spot To Continue Their World Dominance With Erik Spoelstra Being Named The New Head Coach

Garrett Ellwood. Getty Images.

In 2021, Steve Kerr was selected to take over the reins of Team USA once Gregg Popovich decided to step aside. At the 2024 Olympics, we learned that it would be his final season as the man in charge of the greatest basketball team on the planet. Overall, I'd say it was a mixed bag when it came to the Kerr Era. We saw him lead Team USA in two separate tournaments, the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. You'll remember, the 2023 FIBA team was mostly B/C level NBA players, and the results were a disaster. They went 5-3 in that tournament, finishing in an embarrassing 4th place. That result is what helped convince all the legends we saw in 2024 to commit to Team USA for the Olympics and form the Basketball Avengers, which of course, won Gold.

Adding in some exhibition games, overall Kerr went 21-3 as the head coach of Team USA. Not great in the FIBA World Cup, but dominant in the Olympics, which I imagine is what people care more about. The rest of the world puts a TON of stock into the World Cup, but when it comes to Team USA, that's not really the tournament we send our best.

Now that Kerr has stepped aside, there were many options for where Team USA could go when it comes to their new coach. In the end, the official selection is in my opinion, the best possible choice

Love this decision. It's not even really debatable that Spo is one of the best active coaches in the NBA, he's been with Team USA since Kerr got the nod, and as a coach, he has tons of experience leading both superteams (LeBron Era Heat) and scrappy, less talented teams that consistently punch above their weight. This matters to me for two reasons

1. Stars love him, so there's a good chance we'll see the best of the best continue to commit to playing in the Olympics

2. Perhaps finally, we can see Team USA play well in the lesser tournaments while having less talent

It remains insane to me that Spo has never won Coach Of The Year in the NBA, but getting the nod to be the new man in charge of Team USA is a higher honor in my opinion. COTY  in the NBA is all politics and narratives anyway, so that's whatever. He should definitely have at least one, but that's a different topic for a different day. 

And while I had my own personal issues with Steve Kerr for the way he operated like a bozo during the 2024 Olympics, I don't really have the same problems with Spo. Maybe it's because of all the BOS/MIA playoff battles I've lived through, but I don't see him as the same type of talent merchant that I do Kerr. If not for Steph Curry and LeBron going nuclear and saving his ass, 2024 would have been a disaster. With Spo, I know that man can coach because I've seen it. His zone is terrifying. I have some questions about his offense, but that's what the coaching staff is for. Bring in some offensive minded guys (cough cough Joe Mazzulla) and that's all Team USA will need.

Our first look at Team USA in any sort of tournament under Spo will come during the 2027 FIBA World Cup, which is then followed up the 2028 Olympics in LA, and I'm very interested to see who gets selected for the World Cup. If the plan is to still use the B/C level players compared to the Basketball Avengers we saw in 2024, there are a bunch of intriguing names I would love to see. Cooper Flagg, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Duran, Jalen Williams, Brandon Miller, Jalen Johnson, Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybansta, Jalen Suggs etc, there are a ton of intriguing young players who I would love to see get their shot at Team USA, at least for the FIBA World Cup. We'll leave the Olympic roster to the All NBA/superstar guys, but I'd love to see what Spo was able to do with that group of young guys in the lesser tournaments.

While there continues to be this idea that the rest of the world is catching up to Team USA, it feels good to know that at least from a coaching perspective, things remain elite. Going from Pop to Kerr to Spo is a hell of a transition, and my guess is Team USA will continue to be as dominant as ever (when they send their best). 

So good choice Grant Hill, at least you didn't fumble this decision.