It’s Gregg Popovich’s basketball world to dominate now

We don’t know which players will grace the U.S. men’s national team roster at the 2019 FIBA World Cup or the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. LeBron James has signaled interest, Carmelo Anthony is definitely out and one surmises that Stephen Curry might crave a gold medal of his own after seeing three teammates claim the honor in Rio. But we don’t know for sure, and judging by how the 2016 roster shook out, we won’t really know until a month or two before each tournament.

But we do know Gregg Popovich will be there.

Popovich is one of the most fascinating personalities in the NBA, a personality made more tangible in Jackie MacMullan’s spectacular profile on ESPN.com this week. Long a black box, the Popovich myth has become less shrouded in recent years, although through little work of his own. He remains secretive and dismissive to the media. But those around him, perhaps wishing to see his excellence fully and truly appreciated as he enters his third decade with the Spurs, have opened up about who Pop is and what he represents.

What’s most intriguing as we transition from Mike Krzyzewski’s last ride in Rio to a new beginning in Tokyo is how Popovich will coach stars he doesn’t know very well. There’s always been a casualty dilemma in considering the success of San Antonio: Was Tim Duncan such a deferential anti-diva by nature that it allowed Popovich to be the militaristic colonel that was his nature, or is Popovich’s nature so overpowering that Duncan had no choice but to be molded into a deferential anti-diva? The answer, as with most questions of this nature, likely lies in the middle. Duncan respects authority, Popovich provided plenty of it, and (this is crucial) provided it fairly. Their relationship bloomed into magic.

No offense to the men with gold around their necks, but the 2016 Olympic roster is not filled with Tim Duncans. Big Fundamental has been called egoless, which isn’t exactly right, but it’s close. No one would call DeMarcus Cousins, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Paul George, or Kyrie Irving egoless. Durant — and to a smaller extent — Thompson, Lowry and DeAndre Jordan could be called deferential. But they are not names you’d typically lump in with Duncan, or even Kawhi Leonard, the newest quiet Popovich soldier.

Coach K won over a brash set of young stars from 2005 to 2008, though he notably had Kobe Bryant (who loved Krzyzewski so much he almost went to Duke instead of the NBA) and Jason Kidd to set the tone. Will LeBron be Pop’s on-court leader, or does Pop even need him? With a full fist of rings and universal respect throughout the basketball world, can Pop instantly command the attention and devotion of a motley crew of 12 superstars and get them to do his bidding?

We’ll find out in 2019, presuming Team USA qualifies for the World Cup under FIBA’s new scheme. (Qualifying games are scheduled for the middle of the NBA season. Something tells me Pop and the best American players aren’t taking a couple of weeks off in March to go beat Venezuela and Puerto Rico.)

One wrinkle of Popovich’s takeover of the senior men’s team: will it get Kawhi and LaMarcus Aldridge to participate? Aldridge has bowed out of USA Basketball a few times, and Leonard declined an invitation to Rio. Leonard, in particular, could be the link between Pop’s NBA success and the national team that helps make it all feel right. Or it could be LeBron and the sympatico Curry who set the Duncanian tone.

Or the sheer power of Pop himself could bring a group of marquee stars under a team banner just as Coach K has done since 2005. The question isn’t necessarily whether USA Basketball under Popovich will succeed — everything the guy touches turns to gold — but under what terms it will succeed. We know all about Gregg Popovich the NBA coach. We’re slowly learning about Gregg Popovich the person. In a few years, we’ll find out a little bit more about both as he’s handed a new challenge.

If your interest in USA Basketball on the international stage is weakened by the team’s dominance, let that story bring you back into its orbit.