There's still hope that either Jaylen Brown or Derrick White can be added to the 2024 Team USA roster to give the Boston Celtics three representatives, along with the already-announced Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday, for America's Olympic basketball team this summer as CelticsBlog's Mark Aboyoun relays.
"Team USA still has the option to add one more player to its list which can give guys like Derrick White and Jaylen Brown hope that they can be on the plane to Paris," Aboyoun prefaced before saying, "Both Brown and White were included in Team USA’s initial pool of players that could be selected back in January."
The Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers (LeBron James, Anthony Davis), and Phoenix Suns (Kevin Durant, Devin Booker) are the only teams to have two representatives on Team USA. Team needs-wise, America can probably use another big man over a guard or wing, but Brown's versatility probably gives him an edge over White.
It'd be somewhat of a shock to see Team USA get a third Celtic with all of that in mind. If only Kristaps Porzingis was American, he would've been the perfect fit.
Who Team USA can choose over Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown and Derrick White
Given how star-studded the Team USA roster is, depth isn't all that much of a concern. That's not to say the 12th man chosen will have no impact whatsoever, but with James, Curry, Durant, Embiid, Tatum, Booker, Davis, Edwards, and Tatum likely to do almost all of the heavy lifting offensively, there could be some leeway to who Steve Kerr's final man on the bench will be.
An ideal option could be Chet Holmgren, who just had the most impactful rookie season of the last five years. At seven-foot-one while averaging over two blocks per game and shooting 37% from the 3-point line in over four attempts per game, Holmgren can provide spacing offensively and rim-protection defensively; being versatile enough to play the 4 or the 5.
Walker Kessler would be even more outside the box, but the traditional big man can be a lob threat/defensive specialist in the same vein as Tyson Chandler on the 2012 Olympic squad. Other frontcourt depth options include Myles Turner, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jarrett Allen.
Even if the Celtics don't get another one of their own on Team USA, at least Holiday's involvement keyed his return to Boston, more than likely.