Reasons Why Team USA Will, Won't Win Gold Medal

The Americans could face an uphill climb to win Gold.

Aug 3, 2021; Saitama, Japan; USA player Devin Booker (15) and USA player Kevin Durant (7) congratulate each other after USA beat Spain during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Saitama Super Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- The 2024 Paris Olympics have officially started - and the USA Men's Basketball squad is close to opening play against Serbia in group play.

The Americans are heavily favored to win their fifth consecutive Gold medal due to a star-studded roster from top to bottom along with the most impressive coaching staff in the world - among other things.

Despite this, some skepticism has been raised due to being fairly unconvincing in 4-of-5 tune-up games prior to heading to Paris - the team felt disconnected, unengaged, and sloppy far too often.

Team USA should still be frontrunners to steal the highest honor of the tournament, but it may not be the shoe-in that was previously expected to be.

Reasons Why USA Will Win - Most Talent, Most Cohesion,

Team USA is still the most talented squad out of the 12 that qualified. Serbia features Nikola Jokic. Greece features Giannis Antetokounmpo. Canada, Australia, and Germany all feature multiple NBA players on the current rosters.

The fact is that Team USA is the only one to feature a roster completely comprised of NBA talents - let alone all-NBA talents. The gap in overall roster talent between the Americans and the next closest competitor in Canada is still significant.

Team USA is also the most likely to be clicking on all cylinders of the other 11 squads. The team is made up of largely selfless players that have had a tough time clicking in warm-up play, but should be able to once the stakes are raised on Sunday.

Suns star Kevin Durant's anticipated return should also help - he could be the unquestioned number one option moving forward over the course of the next two weeks.

Reasons Why USA Won't Win - Increased Competition, Propensity to Have Poor Performance

Team USA is a virtual lock to make it through the current group they preside in, being pitted against Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico.

The challenge will be facing any number of Canada, France, Germany, even Australia en route to winning the tournament.

The number of more competitive squads will tie directly into the singe-elimination format of the knockout stages - as this version of Team USA hasn't been very convincing at all in the exhibition stage, which featured a one-point victory over South Sudan among other close calls.

The increased quality of teams from around the world could ultimately make a run at Gold all the more challenging, but USA should eventually come out on top due to the talent gap that still remains.