Detroit Pistons: Mason Plumlee could make USA Olympic team
The last time the United States played in a major international basketball competition, Mason Plumlee was on Team USA. With the Olympic Games coming up in July, will the Detroit Pistons center be called upon again to play for his country?
The United States going for the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics with Mason Plumlee at center might sound a bit far-fetched, but there is a real possibility it could happen.
Detroit Pistons center Mason Plumlee on Team USA
Plumlee is officially one of the finalists for the USA Olympic basketball team. So he is under consideration.
The last time Team USA was in action, the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Plumlee was on the team, albeit in a reserve role. He played in five of the USA’s seven games for a total of 47 minutes and averaged 1.3 points and 2.7 rebounds.
Since Plumlee played for the Denver Nuggets at the time, few in Detroit probably noticed he was on the team.
Although the United States finished seventh, it was good enough to qualify them for the Olympics. Many countries are having to compete in qualifying tournaments scheduled for June to make it.
Plumlee now knows Olympic coach Gregg Popovich’s system, that could be very important considering the circumstances.
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The draw for the men’s Olympic basketball tournament was held in Switzerland on Tuesday. Team USA opens pool play on July 25 against France. Their pool also includes Iran and the winner of a qualifier in Canada.
Team USA is scheduled to begin training camp on July 4 in Las Vegas. Of course, for the NBA players in the playoffs, that might present a problem.
There are other obstacles.
Starting with, what if the Tokyo Olympic Committee put in a rule that all athletes had to quarantine for two weeks before competition. That would be a little tough for NBA players still in the playoffs.
A lot of factors at work here.