3 Players who could beat out Tyrese Haliburton for 2024 USA Olympics
By Jack Simone
3 Players who could beat out Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton for 2024 USA Olympic spot: Derrick White
Perhaps the most unorthodox name on this list, Derrick White could be a sneaky candidate to play for the 2024 US Olympic squad, primarily for his play on the defensive end.
During the World Cup, Josh Hart got moved into a starting role because of how comfortable he was as a role player playing alongside stars. Brandon Ingram got bumped to the bench.
It would be for that same reason that Team USA could go with a guy like White for the 2024 Olympics. Having a high-level role player comfortable playing off stars would be a useful commodity.
White is a top-notch three-point shooter, a great secondary ball-handler, extremely low-maintenance, and made the All-Defensive Second Team last year.
Obviously, Tyrese Haliburton is a better player than White. One is an All-Star, and the other is a role player. But that’s exactly why they could choose to take a guy like White.
Other names to watch out for that fall under this category include Alex Caruso, Marcus Smart, and Bruce Brown – defensive-minded role players who are comfortable off the ball.
White is the premier choice when it comes to this archetype of player, and while it may seem weird for him to make the team over a guy like Haliburton, it could very well happen.