The Rio 2016 Olympics are right around the corner and that means the top basketball players in the world gathering in Brazil for what should be a thrilling showcase. The United States secured its spot in the tournament as the 2014 World Cup winner while Brazil is in as the host nation. Beyond that, there are four other teams that have already qualified with a couple of spots still open. Here is a look at the six teams that have qualified for Rio ranked based on their overall talent level.
United States
The US dominated the FIBA World Cup despite leaving some of its star talent behind. With the game’s biggest stars filling out their roster, they will undoubtedly be the favorites to win it all at Rio. The only problem for the U.S. is deciding which star players to cut in order to get their roster down to size.
That task is up to USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo who has to figure out how to transition from the old guard to the new guard…without stepping on anyone’s toes. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul have all been previous staples but the new of Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Paul George, James Harden and Kevin Durant can’t be denied. And we haven’t even mentioned up-and-coming talents like Kawhi Leonard, DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook and DeAndre Jordan. The point guard position is a particular quandary with Paul, Curry, Irving and Westbrook all vying for what’s likely just two positions.
It’s a good problem to have for a team that will enter the tournament with a “gold or bust” mentality as they aim for their third straight finish at the top of the podium.
Spain
Pau Gasol led Spain to a thrilling overtime win over France in the Eurobasket semifinals to clinch their spot at Rio and they will bring an impressive roster to the Olympics that includes the Gasol brothers, Ricky Rubio, Serge Ibaka, Juan Carlos Navarro and Jose Calderon. Spain won’t be considered a gold medal threat but they should definitely contend for a medal at Rio. This is a team that typically plays with great chemistry and combine to a greater whole than the parts appear individually.
Argentina
Argentina’s loss to Venezuela in the FIBA Americas championship didn’t matter since they had already qualified for the Olympics with their win over Mexico in the semifinals and shouldn’t be read in to too much. Argentina still projects to have one of the most talented rosters in the tournament when they get to Rio. We may see Manu Ginobili again as well as Luis Scola. They will undoubtedly contend for a medal playing in South America.
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Brazil
The host nation didn’t even know it was guaranteed a spot until a couple of weeks ago when FIBA requested it. Just because they got an automatic berth that doesn’t mean they don’t have the talent to compete with the top teams in the tournament. Brazil will have a strong group of NBA talent with guys like Tiago Splitter, Nene, Leandro Barbosa and Anderson Varejao headlining. And maybe even Toronto Raptors prospect Bruno Caboclo gets a look. Playing in front of their home fans should provide an added boost as they look to at least medal at Rio 2016.
Nigeria
The winners of the Afrobasket tournament will compete in the Olympics for the second time in a row after beating Angola but their lack of star power will show. They make the trip to Brazil led by Afrobasket MVP Chamberlain Oguchi, Al-Farouq Aminu of the Portland Trail Blazers and Festus Ezeli of the Golden State Warriors.
Venezuela
Venezuela was the surprise winner of the FIBA Americas championship earlier this month as they upset Canada in the semi-finals and then shocked Argentina in the finals despite that both teams had technically already qualified for the Olympics. It would have been interesting to see how they fared against Argentina if an Olympics berth was on the line and right now they project as the lowest ranked team in the tournament.
