3 potential impact bench players on Team USA

If the United States are to find themselves atop the podium come late-September, it will be on the backs of their starters and core-eight. There's no question about that.

But the success of Team USA won't be determined by their starters alone. Even the 2012 Olympic gold medal squad - one that featured enough star-power to rival the fabled 1992 Dream Team - relied upon the timely contributions of bench producers to capture gold. Second unit players like Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony factored prominently into Team USA's dominant run.

In the upcoming FIBA World Cup, Team USA won't have the benefit of superstars like Love and Anthony coming off the bench, but they will need second-unit contributions nonetheless. Here are three bench players who can potentially make a difference.

DeMar DeRozan

Many were surprised with DeRozan's inclusion on Team USA. By no means is DeRozan a core-piece, which makes his lack of secondary skills curious. He's not much of a defender, he isn't a reliable three-point shooter and he doesn't have the tightest of handles either.

What DeRozan does offer is a unique mix of size and scoring ability. He has the size to reliably guard both shooting guards and small forwards, and if need be, he could even switch onto smallball fours in international play. Versatility is king in head coach Mike Krzyzewski's schemes.

More importantly, DeRozan has the ability to create his own shot, something the squad lacks on the wing (save for James Harden.) DeRozan is an effective pick-and-roll ball-handler, especially in attacking the rim. DeRozan took the sixth-most free throw attempts in the NBA last season, mostly by attacking opponents off the dribble. If he's surrounded with lethal spot-up shooters like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, DeRozan's potent dribble-drive game only figures to be all the more effective.

Klay Thompson

Thompson is the diametric opposite of DeRozan, being that he is a lights-out three-point shooter with a strong defensive reputation. In that sense, Thompson is the ideal role player.

But the designation of role player doesn't mean Thompson isn't capable of being a star. There are few players more dangerous than Thompson when he's curling off a pin-down or flaring to the corner on a fast-break. His sublime three-point accuracy has a magnetic effect on opposing defenses, which he leverages to force teams into making difficult decisions. It's hard to send help on a sideline pick-and-rolls with Thompson setting up on the strong-side corner, for example.

There's also his defensive abilities. A large part of Golden State's reluctance to deal Thompson in a trade for Love was because Thompson so pefectly complimented fellow splash brother Stephen Curry. The three point guards on Team USA don't carry the strongest of defensive reputations, and Thompson's ability to reliably pester points and wings should allow Coach K to hide his weaker point guards on lesser players.

DeMarcus Cousins

Without the luxury of a premier smallball four like Kevin Love or Kevin Durant, Coach K decided to play big, bringing along four centers to occupy a third of the team's roster spots. Starter Anthony Davis was a no-brainer, but aside from him, no center is as vital to Team USA's success as DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins is the lone post-up threat on the squad, possessing both the bulk and skills to be effective on the block. The 6-foot-11, 270-pound Cousins is a hulking bully with the ability to reliably finish around the rim with either hand. With so much of Team USA's offense being predicated on creating spot-ups and attacking off the pick-and-roll, Cousins post-play nicely balances the offense.

Moreover, Cousins is the only player on Team USA capable of standing toe-to-toe with Pau and Marc Gasol of Spain. Fellow center Andre Drummond also has the size to guard the Gasols, but he's sometimes undisciplined, willing to trade post position for shot-blocking opportunities. Cousins is no stopper, but he'll at least consistently keep heftier centers in front of him, while being able to punish them on offense.