Even though a number of star players turned down the opportunity to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympic games, the men’s basketball tournament still figured to be one of the more attractive events. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul, James Harden, Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin each opted to sit out this year’s tournament but even without that deep list of star power the United States is still the obvious sports betting favorite to win gold. Here is a look at the updated power rankings for the 2016 Rio Olympics men’s basketball based on the betting odds to win the tournament outright.
1. USA -1200
Kevin Durant will get some early work with his new Golden State Warriors’ teammates as he joins up with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green as a member of the United States side at Rio. That trio will be surrounded with proper talent as well as DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler all Paul George help lead the way while Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, DeAndre Jordan and DeMar DeRozan all look to make a substantial impact. Even with their omissions the US side is the deepest and most talented team in the tournament so it only makes sense to expect Mike Krzyzewski to improve on his 75-1 all-time record as the head coach of the national team as the odds-on favorite to bring home gold.
2. Spain +1000
The traditional challengers to US supremacy will be without Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, which will leave 36-year-old Pau Gasol to do a lot of the heavy lifting. But this is still a team that has plenty of talent and always comes together as a team. They tend to thrive on the international courts and stage, and we can expect more of that in Rio.
Looking at the roster, Ricky Rubio and Juan Carlos Navarro will try to help carry the load for a Spanish side that has won three silver medals. Rubio is a very talented point guard on the international stage and he’ll be one of the key facilitators. The biggest challenge for Spain will be overcoming its age disadvantage with a number of key players on the wrong side of 30. But with France facing that same type of challenge, Spain should find itself on the podium at the end of the 2016 Rio Games.
3. France +1200
Veterans Nicolas Batum, Tony Parker and Boris Diaw will be complimented by rising stars like Rudy Gobert, Joffrey Lauvergne and Nando de Colo as the French side looks to challenge for a medal in Rio. France certainly has enough talent to contend for a medal but after looking very inconsistent throughout the qualifying phase, it’s hard to consider them a legitimate contender to take down the U.S. team. The issue is that guys like Parker and Diaw, two players that have guided the team in previous years, are past their prime and are in the twilight of their career. For France to get on the podium, they’ll need a big Games from Rudy Gobert and some of the other young guys.
4. Brazil +2000
Brazil isn’t loaded with NBA talent but they have some quality players and will be extended to contend as the home side in Brazil this summer. Nene, Leandro Barbosa and Anderson Varejao are the most recognizable names, but they’ll need more than that to get the job done. The good news is that they have home court advantage – if that will mean something. It wouldn’t be a surprise if a couple of relative unknowns stepped up their level of play to help Brazil challenge for a medal in Rio.
5. Serbia +3300
Bogdan Bogdanovic is the most recognizable name on the Serbian roster for casual basketball fans but don’t judge this team by the individual. They’ll be greater than the sum of their parts. Serbia plays at a high level as a team and is very much capable of contending for a roster spot. Lithuania and Argentina could both be better than expected but the betting odds have Serbia rounding out the top-five contenders to take home gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
6. Lithuania +4000
T-7. Argentina +6600
T-7. Croatia +6600
T-7. Nigeria +6600
T-7. Venezuela +6600
11. Australia +20000
12. China +20000
