USA vs Puerto Rico: Predicted Starting Line-up, Depth Chart, Stats, and More Ahead of Steve Kerr’s Men’s Final Group Stage Game

With two dominant victories against Serbia and South Sudan in the first two games, Team USA has already booked their ticket to the knockout stages of the Paris Olympics. But the job is far from over. Although they have already qualified, their seeding in the quarter-final could depend on the outcome of Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico. So, LeBron James and Co. cannot take their foot off the gas just yet.

But as Team USA gears up for their final group stage encounter, which five superstars are likely to get the starting nod from head coach Steve Kerr? Let’s dive in.

Team USA Predicted Starters and Depth Chart

Although Kerr upgraded Anthony Davis and Jayson Tatum to replace Joel Embiid and Jrue Holiday in the starting lineup against South Sudan, he made it clear after the game that things would go back to usual against Puerto Rico. That means Kerr planned to use the same starting lineup on Saturday that he did against Serbia, which included LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, and Stephen Curry.

However, Kerr’s initial plan took a massive hit when he revealed during Friday’s practice that Holiday “rolled his ankle the other night” after stepping on an opponent’s foot during the South Sudan encounter, per EssentiallySports’ Grant Afseth.

While Jrue was not hurt enough to leave the game and played 15 minutes, his status for the Puerto Rico game has been listed as ‘questionable’. So, while the rest of the starting lineup is expected to remain as per plan, Kerr might need a replacement for Holiday in case he is unable to suit up.

Fortunately, Team USA has a ton of great options. Obviously, the first name that comes to mind is Celtics guard Derrick White because of the position and skill similarity with Holiday. Even during the last game, White scored 10 points and three crucial steals off the bench in just 17 minutes. Moreover, he is a great perimeter defender just like Jrue, and could be the perfect pick to guard Puerto Rico’s agile Jose Alvarado.

In that case, Team USA’s starting lineup and depth chart could look something like this:

With White taking the starting role, Tyrese Haliburton could be his backup point guard for the day. While this lineup makes perfect sense, Kerr could also go a completely different route and make Stephen Curry the point guard against Puerto Rico and start Kevin Durant or Jayson Tatum to replace Jrue.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico is expected to go with the same starting lineup that they used in the first two games against Serbia and South Sudan, which includes: Jose Alvarado, Tremont Waters, Isaiah Pineiro, Ismael Romero, and George Conditt IV.

Team USA Stats

While Steve Kerr assesses his options to hand over Jrue Holiday’s responsibility, here are some key stats (averages per game) of the Team USA stars that might help him make the decision.

Well, the chart clearly shows that White is one of the best defensive players on Team USA and Kerr could use his lockdown skills to limit Puerto Rico to a low score and increase the final point differential.

“We want the No. 1 seed. It gives you the best matchup in the quarterfinals. So, if we drop down to two or three, which I think is unlikely, but we’ve got to take care of our business.” Kerr said in an interview.

At the moment, Team USA leads the chart with a 43-point differential followed closely by Germany, who are at 33 points, with one match to spare against France. So, to make sure that they get the best seeding out of all the opponents, Team USA needs to blow out Puerto Rico by a huge margin.

Although it seems like a straightforward task considering Puerto Rico has lost both their group stage games so far, that too, by massive margins, anything can happen in the Olympics. Just ask LeBron James, who was part of the Olympic squad that got humiliated by Puerto Rico back in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Yes, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in history, Puerto Rico defeated Team USA 92-73 the last time they faced each other at the world stage. With that in mind, Team USA cannot make the mistake of taking their opponents lightly. Who do you think should start the game for Team USA?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.