This year's absolutely stacked United States men's basketball roster has drawn comparisons to the legendary 1992 Dream Team, which starred Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and more.

This year's U.S. roster brings the biggest names and the biggest international brands in basketball — LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and more — to the courts in France.

"It's remarkable to see the talent in front of me as I'm addressing the team," U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. "But a big part of the message is, this is not 1992."

"Steph and I are not going to be like [1992 U.S. coach] Chuck Daly and Mike [Jordan], we're not playing golf every day in France. I know Chuck and Michael had a great time together on game days playing 36 [holes]. Those days are long gone. We have our hands full. Despite the amazing roster we have, FIBA is tough."

Kerr isn't just paying lip service to overmatched opponents — the rest of the world is catching up with the United States. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic will be in uniform for Serbia, Team USA's first opponent in Olympic group play. Two-time MVP and NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo will be wearing the blue of Greece this summer in Paris. NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert form an intimidating front line for host France. NBA MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlines a Canadian roster stacked with NBA players. The Australian roster is deep with current and former NBA players as well.

The Paris Olympics will have more current and former NBA players on rosters than any previous Games.

Many of those international stars grew up playing the FIBA style of play—often together with essentially the same roster in the same national team systems they will take with them to Paris. That familiarity with the rules and their deep chemistry gives them an advantage against the U.S.

"[Other] teams [have] been together for [the] last six to seven years. It felt like these guys have played together in amateur programs up until their pros," Durant said. "And that's not the kind of formula we have here in the United States, but we got athleticism, length, size, IQ, and you put that all on the floor with great coaching, I think the chemistry [will] build pretty fast."

"We're playing basically to their rules," Anthony Davis said of the advantage the international players have. "This is something that, when they're not playing the NBA, or before they were playing the NBA, [they played this way]. ... We're coming into their territory, but it's something that a lot of us have done before."

"It'll be fun. I mean, they come into our league and get adjusted to our rules. And so now it's our turn to go into theirs."

The differences are numerous, starting with the ball being a little different — it's officially the same size, although a lot of U.S. players historically have said it feels a little smaller and the leather isn't as soft — and then there are rules like no defensive three seconds (a big man can just camp out in the paint), and once the ball touches the rim on a shot it is not goaltending to knock it off (or dunk it and finish it), as there is no "over the cylinder" rule after the ball hits the rim.

"There's only 75% as many possessions in a FIBA game, 40 minutes instead of 48, and it's more physical," Kerr said. "I think the NBA stars are used to being able to go out there and find their rhythm over a 48-minute game. And there's just less time to do that in a FIBA game."

Team USA's advantage with this veteran roster is that the guys have played internationally before, so it's a matter of readjusting, not learning.

"Yeah, it helps for sure," Davis told NBC Sports. "Like I say, a lot of guys on his team have done it [played FIBA]. Even the younger guys. Ant [Anthony Edwards] did it last year. Bam [Adebayo] has one [gold medal] and has done it before, and pretty much everybody on the team.”

That experience may matter, because this is not 1992 — Kerr can't just roll the ball out there and expect to win going away. The rest of the world is catching up.

Which is why the U.S. had to send its best team since the Dream Team to Paris to secure the fifth straight men's basketball gold medal for Team USA.