Mailbag Part 1: Drafting a "World Team"

Part 1 of the first mailbag of the offseason

Once the Summer League wraps up, the depths of the offseason quickly follow. Fortunately, the Paris Olympics should give us our basketball fix for the next couple of weeks. We will keep up with the goings-on in the newsletter.

Before we start looking too far ahead or getting too creative with topic ideas, there’s a mailbag waiting to be answered! On Tuesday, I sent out a note (download the Substack app!) asking for some mailbag questions or fleeting thoughts that I could respond to.

Thankfully, there were enough questions, with enough meat on the bone, that I could split the mailbag into two parts. So, if you have a question or thought you didn’t get a response today, stay locked in for part two.

Let’s dive right in.

Rui Monteiro Mascarenhas asks: What theoretical team (mix and match from all other countries) could be drafted to defeat the USA team? 12 players per role? Like an avengers version …😉 I know the playing field might be more even but I think the gold medal is already in their pocket?

My Take: I wanted to start with this question because the premise is entertaining. Hopefully, I’ve understood this right: You’re asking me to draft a “World” team to take on Team USA.

Before diving in, let’s clear up some caveats. I’m assuming that any non-US player is available for selection. I’m also assuming everyone on the roster is healthy.

Here’s how my roster would line up.

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Nationality: Canadian

This one felt like a can’t-miss. SGA is one of the best guards in the world. He’s a blur in the open court. He’s an elite three-level scorer. He’s a reliable playmaker, especially when penetrating off the dribble and finding open shooters or secondary cutters. He’s no slouch on defense. And he’s the type of elite talent you need when facing a Team USA roster overflowing with future Hall of Fame talent.

SG: Luka Doncic | Nationality: Slovenia

Doncic completes our starting backcourt. He is arguably a top-three talent in the world right now. He gives us unpredictability with the ball in his hands. He knows how to break down and manipulate defenses. Due to his enormous gravity, he creates shooting opportunities for others. The battle will be integrating him with SGA and ensuring both work in tandem despite being ball-dominant guards. Fortunately for us, Doncic has experience playing next to other elite ball handlers, and that worked out well for the Dallas Mavericks last season.

SF: OG Anunoby | Nationality: English/Nigerian

If we’re building a roster to go toe-to-toe with Team USA, you need elite wing defense. Anunoby is 6’7’’ and 232 lbs; he can guard multiple positions on the floor and is one of the better wing defenders in the NBA. Have him spot up on offense and attack off rip-throughs and stampede cuts when necessary. He’s the glue guy to this starting five and will be the primary point-of-attack defender.

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo | Nationality: Greek

Remember how I said that Doncic was arguably one of the top three talents in the world? Giannis can make that claim, too. He’s going to bring physicality, two-way production and size to this roster. If we’re going up against Team USA, we need a squad that is both technically gifted and physically dominant. So far, I feel like we’re getting a good blend. Imagine Giannis cutting to the rim and getting lob passes from SGA and Doncic? The spacing he’s going to have should also unlock his driving game when he’s operating as the ball-handler in the half-court or in transition.

C: Nikola Jokic | Nationality: Serbian

Jokic completes our starting five. He also rounds out our list of players with a claim to be one of the top three talents in the world. Theoretically, this roster should have the best player on the court when both starting fives are on the floor. You could make a case for it having the best three players on the floor, too. Jokic ensures the spacing remains at an elite level. He brings ridiculous passing and playmaking and he builds on the unpredictable scoring talent of Doncic. Plus, we get the Luka/Jokic bromance in full swing. Love it. Love this starting five, too.

Now, onto our subs — there are seven spots remaining to round out the 12-man roster.

Guards

Dennis Schroder | Nationality: German

Schroder turns into a superstar when he plays on the international stage. His style of play is perfect for the FIBA ruleset. He will bring energy, scoring and reliable ball-handling off the bench.

Josh Giddey | Nationality: Australia

I went back and forth with adding Giddey to this roster. Nevertheless, I’m making my decisions based purely on basketball, which means he gets the nod as the deep bench ball-handler. Another high-level creator who can score on multiple levels with good size and feel.

Wings

Franz Wagner | Nationality: German

Wagner is talented enough to make a case for a starting spot over Anunoby in this exercise. However, given his on-ball talent and his defensive upside, it felt like a smarter idea to bring him off the bench. Can you imagine a Franz/Wembanyama pick-and-roll on an international court? He’s going to be a primary option for this team off the bench.

Pascal Siakam | Nationality: Cameroonian

Siakam fits the bill for this roster we’re building. He has great size and length and is a legitimate two-way threat. As an All-NBA talent, we know Siakam can hold his own against the best in the world. Bringing him off the bench gives us the best chance of containing some of Team USA’s ridiculous scoring depth.

Bigs

Victor Wembanyama | Nationality: French

How could we not take the phenom? Wembanyama is every bit as good as we all hoped he would be. The scary part is that he’s only going to get better. Imagine the luxury of sitting Jokic and bringing Wemby on as his replacement. You go from one elite big to another, except you also drastically increase your rim protection and vertical spacing.

Kristaps Porzingis | Nationality: Lithuanian

Lol. If Wembanyama’s size and ridiculous skill weren’t enough, let’s add Porzingis into the mix and double-down on seven-footers who put the ball on the floor, score on the perimeter, work in the post and protect the rim at an elite level. Porzingis adds experience to the rotation. He is, of course, the original Unicorn.

Lauri Markkanen | Nationality: Finnish

Ok, why not triple-down instead? More size, scoring, defense and some shades of playmaking. The size of this bench unit is ridiculous. The combinations available will ensure this roster is more than capable of standing toe-to-toe with Team USA, and honestly, I wish we could see this play out on live TV. I would also like to request a temporary trade so we can get Jaylen Brown involved in a revenge game, but that’s just wishful thinking, even in this current fantasy world we’re living in.

This was a really fun exercise I’ve been looking forward to working through. However, I’m just as interested in hearing your “World Team” rosters, so let me know in the comments section!

Tim K asks: It's December 25, 2026. The veteran Celtics are hosting the up-and-coming Detroit Pistons, who hope to ruin Christmas for 20,000 fans at TD Garden. Aside from Jaden Springer and Neemias Queta, is there anyone from Summer League 2024 who you think might crack the Celtics’ 9-man rotation 2.5 years down the line?

My take: Hmm, this is another fun thought exercise. I think Baylor Scheierman will most likely be part of the hypothetical rotation. In his five Summer League games, Scheierman averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. However, he did struggle scoring the ball, shooting 36.2% from the field and 29.4% from deep.

Still, I think Scheierman has a lot to offer on the offensive end. He can operate as a secondary ball-handler, score off the catch, spot up, attack off the bounce and provide some off-ball cutting to force defensive rotations. With your questions being based on 2.5 years into the future, there’s a reasonable chance Scheierman has improved his defense, stacked on some muscle and has found a rhythm against NBA-level talent.

If I had to choose just one player out of this year’s summer league rotation, with Neemy and and Springer off the table, then Scheierman makes the most sense to me. I would like to note that Anton Watson is a close second, but I do have some questions about his fit at the next level due to his size and defensive struggles when switched to quicker players around the perimeter.

John Lyell said: C's seem to have the roster locked in a lot earlier vs most years with the 15th spot and last 2 way the only open spots? Expect Brad to wait on filling 15 unless he finds a trade or FA candidate he wants. Expect we won't see KP until Dec/Jan, so Queta, Luke and X will get time behind Al and JT. Watson is likely on the final two-way unless somebody else becomes available. I thought he had already signed, but I couldn't confirm. I would also like to see Springer have more time behind D White and Jrue. He's only like 21. Maine might be best for Walsh and Scheierman.

My take: I’m going to split this response into two parts, Springer and Watson.

Springer: I really like what Springer brings to the table—a pitbull defender with upside as a scorer and potential playmaking ability. However, I’m not sure he gets the minutes you’re hoping for — at least not immediately. He’s behind Payton Pritchard in the rotation and could struggle to dislodge him.

Pritchard is a proven commodity within the rotation and is a high-level perimeter scorer, knocking down 38.5% of his looks last season. He’s better at pushing the pace, is a sneaky good rebounder and isn’t a slouch on defense — proving capable of cross-matching early in possessions.

On paper, Springer feels like a Joe Mazzulla type of guard. His defense fits the bill as a switchable point-of-attack guard that can slide up multiple positions and impact some of the elite ball-handlers in the league. However, his offense is still a work in progress. If he can develop a reliable spot-up three, and become more adept that attacking while getting downhill, he could start putting pressure on Pritchard in the near future.

Springer's current issue is that he’s on the final year of his current deal. If he can’t dislodge Pritchard during the upcoming season, he’s likely to hit the open market next summer, meaning he walks for nothing.

It’s going to be really interesting to watch this guard battle develop and see how he progresses throughout the season.

Watson: A season in Maine is logical and likely. However, I’m interested to see whether Brad Stevens extends him a two-way contract or uses Watson to fill the final roster spot. Last season, Stevens signed Walsh to a four-year deal as a main roster guy before letting him develop in the G-League. Watson is a more polished product than Walsh, so there’s part of me that hasn’t ruled out a longer-term deal with him, essentially red-shirting the season to be with Maine.

Outside of Watson taking that final roster spot, I agree it’s likely to stay open until closer to the trade deadline. That way, Boston has flexibility and shaves some cash off their luxury tax bill.

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Part 2

Will be out tomorrow! Have a great day, everyone!