Kevin Love

Despite being one of Team USA's youngest players and having no Olympic experience, Love could play a pivotal role in London as the U.S. is thin on big men who can dominate the boards due to injuries to LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard. Love was the NBA's second-leading rebounder this season at 13.3 per game after finishing first the previous season at 15.2 - the league's highest average since Ben Wallace (15.4) nine years ago. What separates Love from most power forwards is his ability to hit 3-pointers, having shot a combined 39.1 percent from beyond the arc over the past two seasons and making at least three in 29 games. He played limited minutes in his only true international competition at the 2010 world championships, averaging 5.7 points and 4.9 boards as the U.S. won gold to qualify for London. Love was picked for that squad despite having only two NBA seasons under his belt and one in college at UCLA, where he was named a consensus All-American. His scoring has increased by a big margin every year as a pro, topping out at 26.0 this season to rank fourth in the league. The two-time All-Star, whose 112 double-doubles over the past two years are the most in the NBA, has quite the pedigree. His father, Stan, played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Bullets, while his aunt, Kathleen McCartney Hearst, is a member of the U.S. Triathlon Hall of Fame. His uncle, Mike Love, is the lead singer of the Beach Boys.