Team USA Open as Favorites to Dominate Basketball in Paris

The 2024 Men’s Olympic basketball odds have the USA men’s Olympic basketball team as heavy favorites to take home the gold. It isn’t much of a surprise to bettors. Team USA has won the gold in every year but one (Argentina surprised the world and took home the gold in 2004) since they let NBA players participate in 1992.

This year’s competition promises to have plenty of excitement, however. Some teams can medal and give Team USA a run for their money.

Team Canada has put together a roster with the second-most NBA players in the tournament and are led by All-NBA talent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Europe also has a slew of great teams in this year’s competition. The home team, France, promises to contend for a medal. They’re adding 20-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama to an already proficient team.

Germany, who beat Team USA in the most recent FIBA World Cup, will also look to defend their international title. They have a solid squad of veterans and NBA talent.

Then you have Serbia and Greece with considerably less talent on paper than some of their competition. But they have two of the best basketball players in the world: Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antentokounmpo, respectively.

Let’s look at the 2024 Men’s Olympic basketball odds and see if we can find any value in some Olympic basketball betting.

The Odds to Win Gold

Here are the current 2024 Olympic men’s basketball odds of winning the gold medal:

Although Team USA are big favorites, the line of -480 is a little more favorable than we expected. Barring a complete meltdown, Team USA should dominate this tournament.

They have the deepest and most talented roster. Joel Embiid’s addition makes them more equipped to handle the other elite players in the tournament.

Team USA were given a scare in their first game of the USA Basketball Showcase against Australia. But when the lights shine brightest in the Olympics, this team will be too good to beat.

Team USA, Losing Not an Option

Losing is not an option for Team USA. They’ve put together a super team of the best basketball talent in the world. However, talent alone isn’t a guaranteed path to victory, as the Americans learned at the World Cup.

Their team consists of young stars with veteran legends. On top of all of that, they picked up 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid to hold down the center position.

Embiid was qualified to play for his home country, Cameroon, and the tournament host, France, but opted to chase a gold medal with an already stacked Team USA.

The USA is led by the superstar trio of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Due to injuries, this will be Curry’s first and last Olympic games.

James and Durant will also likely hang up their international playing shoes after this tournament, and going out on a high that is anything less than grabbing a gold medal would be catastrophic.

Between those three, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, and now Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, this team has a combined 15 NBA championships under their belt, the highest honor from the best basketball league in the world.

Although some of the other teams in the tournament have played together more than this team, their talent is undeniable.

That being said, we’ve seen talent lose to teamwork many times, and that is why this team will have to hang their hat on the defensive end.

Team USA has many of the best defenders in the world on their team, and if they are solely focused on winning any given game nobody should be able to score on them.

With Davis and Embiid they have the size in the middle, with Tatum and Edwards the wing is covered, and the Celtic’s Jrue Holiday and Derrick White may be two of the best guard defenders in the world.

Anthony Davis gets his 7th block of the night and then gets a standing ovation from the crowd as he gets subbed out for LeBron

AD may not be the leading scorer for Team USA, but he is for sure the MVP for today pic.twitter.com/3Mnwa6bAtq

— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) July 17, 2024

The Case for the Field

With the 2024 Men’s Olympic basketball odds tilting heavily towards Team USA, those who think an upset is possible might want to look at the long odds for the rest of the field.

Canada boasts a formidable roster, arguably the biggest threat to Team USA’s dominance. Despite Andrew Wiggins’ absence, their lineup features a who’s who of NBA stars like Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, and Dillon Brooks.

Their defensive prowess will be a challenge for any opponent. The sheer number of NBA players on their team puts them in the number two spot.

France were the runner-ups in the last Olympics. Their silver medal-winning roster gets a major boost with Wembanyama. He averaged mind-boggling stats en route to winning the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Wembanyama’s dominance was on display in a recent friendly against World Cup champions Germany, where he racked up 25 points in a limited 19 minutes. His size and skill present a matchup nightmare for most teams.

Fresh off their historic FIBA World Cup victory, Germany returns as a legitimate medal contender. The core of that championship team remains intact, led by rising star Franz Wagner, who recently secured a lucrative rookie max extension with the Orlando Magic. With continuity and championship experience on their side, Germany can be a force to be reckoned with in Paris.

For Olympic Games betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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