Team USA vs Australia: Predicted starting 5 and depth chart (July 15, 2024) | USA Basketball Showcase Game

Team USA will meet Australia on Monday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for an exhibition matchup. The Americans begin a two-week preparation where they face three other teams in the lead-up to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. LeBron James and Co., which won against Canada in their first tuneup game, will look to get another win in their preparation stage.

The Boomers will parade eight players who pushed the Australians to the bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Patty Mills will captain a squad that includes Josh Giddey, Dante Exum, Matisse Thybulle, Dyson Daniels, Josh Green, Jock Landale and Matthew Dellavedova.

The last time the two nations met was in 2021 in another tuneup game, which the Australians won 91-83. Both teams are vastly different, but the Americans might be looking for some payback for that loss.

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Team USA vs. Australia starting 5s and depth charts

Team USA starting 5 and depth chart

USAB coach Steve Kerr has been stressing since the start of training camp that he will experiment with his roster. Part of that is mixing up his starting five in the Americans’ tune-up games. In the 86-72 win against Canada, he had LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker.

Against Australia, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported that Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum would start. Kerr will likely have Edwards, Tatum, James, Embiid and Curry open the game on Monday.

Here is Team USA’s depth chart:

Player	Starter	2nd	3rd
G	Steph Curry	Tyrese Haliburton	Derrick White
G	Anthony Edwards	Devin Booker	Jrue Holiday
F	Jayson Tatum	Kevin Durant
F	LeBron James	Bam Adebayo
C	Joel Embiid	Anthony Davis

Australia starting 5 and depth chart

Like Steve Kerr, Boomers coach Brian Goorjian will also tinker with this lineup. He might have a set starting five in mind, but he isn’t likely to put that out this early in their preparation. Goorjian could have Jock Landale, Josh Green, Josh Giddey, Matisse Thybulle and Dyson Daniels tipoff against the Americans.

Here is the Australians’ full roster:

Player	Starter	2nd	3rd
G	Josh Giddey	Patty Mills	Matthew Dellavedova
G	Josh Green	Dante Exum	Chris Goulding
F	Dyson Daniels	Jack McVeigh	Joe Ingles
F	Matisse Thybulle
C	Jock Landale	Duop Reath

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Team USA vs. Australia: Key matchups

Joel Embiid vs. Jock Landale

Joel Embiid is a walking mismatch against the Australians. Neither Jock Landale nor Duop Reath can guard him one-on-one, so Goorjian will have to send help to contain the big man. The problem with that strategy is that it leaves four NBA superstars open, a nightmare for the Boomers.

Anthony Edwards vs. Josh Green

Josh Green spent much of his time in the series between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves guarding Anthony Edwards. That matchup will carry over to Abu Dhabi on Monday in the exhibition game between Team USA and the Boomers.

Green held up well with help from a backline anchored by Dereck Lively II. He will not have the same support while “Ant-Man” has teamed up with even bigger and more dangerous threats than what he had in Minnesota.

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