Team USA is looking to bounce back from a tough showing at the FIBA World Cup. They’re expected to take an incredibly strong squad to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Jrue Holiday is expected to be part of the team’s 12-man rotation.
Holiday was part of Team USA’s last Olympic roster, helping them win a Gold Medal.
“Celtics star guard Jrue Holiday is expected to be among the 12 members of Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Olympics, barring unforeseen circumstances, sources with knowledge of the situation tell me and Joe Vardon,” Charania reported.
Since joining the Celtics via trade in the summer, Holiday has emerged as a core member of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation. His versatility on both sides of the floor has allowed him to slot into multiple roles on a nightly and possession-by-possession basis. Holiday has also proven he can still impact the game at an incredibly high level despite being the third, fourth, or fifth option on a team’s offense.
Holiday’s professionalism and versatility appear to be highly enticing for Steve Kerr and his Team USA coaching staff.
“Team officials have valued Holiday’s two-way ability, point-of-attack defense and dynamic playmaking,” Charania wrote. “Holiday was considered Team USA’s second-most important player behind Kevin Durant on the gold-medal-winning team in Tokyo in 2021.”
Holiday has been fantastic for the Celtics this season, averaging 13 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, shooting 47.9% from the field and 44.3% from 3-point range.
If you need another reason to be excited about the upcoming Olympics, Holiday will likely be joined by at least one of his Celtics teammates. Jayson Tatum was part of the 2020 team that won gold in Tokyo and would undoubtedly be interested in winning another medal, while Jaylen Brown’s stellar season could also give Team USA food for thought.
Nevertheless, with veterans such as LeBron James, Steph Curry and Joel Embiid all expected to be selected, competition for places will be fierce. After a fourth-placed finish this past summer, it makes sense for Team USA to try and bury that memory deep within the history books. The best way to do that is to dominate in Paris later this year.
