The U.S. Olympic team is about to get some reinforcements now that the NBA Finals are over, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. With the Bucks finishing off the Suns Tuesday night, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Devin Booker are all headed to Tokyo and are expected to be ready when the Americans open Olympic play on Sunday against France.
All three players will bring some welcome firepower to a team that went 2-2 in exhibition play. While they didn’t have the benefit of training with their new teammates, coach Gregg Popovich is confident that it won’t take long for everyone to adjust.
“Chemistry is something that we hope forms quickly,” Popovich said. “These guys get along very well. They haven’t played together but they know each other and they’re very happy to be here. They’ve sacrificed a lot under the circumstances to do this. The chemistry builds day by day, you can’t force that issue. It just happens organically. The three guys that are coming in will blend in as best they can and we’ll try to do a good job coaching-wise to put them in situations where they feel comfortable together.”
There’s more on the Olympics:
- Despite the difficulty of going from one high-level competition to another, none of the three players in the Finals have any regrets about their Olympic decisions, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “Yes, there is a component of playing for your country, playing for your family,” Holiday said. “My wife (former soccer star Lauren Cheney) being a two-time Olympian, was is also a factor, but I think not having a break and just feeling like, well, we’re in the Finals, why not just continue playing basketball.”
- A busy schedule awaits Grant Hill after the Olympics, notes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Hill will replace Jerry Colangelo as managing director of USA Basketball and will have just a few months before qualifying begins for the 2023 Basketball World Cup. Hill won’t be at the Olympics because of limits on personnel that can travel with a team, but he has worked closely with Colangelo to prepare for the new role. “No question, these are big shoes to fill,” Hill said. “Jerry has been incredible. His vision, strategic thinking, his will to make this successful. … I’m amazed at many things I didn’t know about his various contributions to the game of basketball.”
- Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Rudy Gobert are the top players to watch in this year’s Games, The Athletic states in its guide to men’s Olympic basketball.
I do think playing in Olympics is a big deal. To me there is enough NBA talent. That we shouldn’t need finals participants. Seems like it’s pushing these guys. Especially in today’s world. NBA has enough time to create a solid team. To take over there. These guys should enjoy their time and rest.
JaVale McGee should at least help keep the bench warm, maybe getting some minutes in garbage time. Booker, Middleton, and Holiday won’t be playing nearly as much as they did in the Finals with the depth they will have around them. They’re young enough to handle it.
The point is it’s the NBA. We shouldn’t need anyone from the Finals. Plenty of time to develop a strong solid team. From deepest pool in the World.
Other years I’ll agree but this year different. With many guys dealing with injuries lack of off season rest before this past season COVID and other reasons is why you don’t see a lot of guys wanting to play . So the team is what it is
Lillard, Holiday, Middleton, Durant, Draymond/Bam
Booker, Grant, Bam/Draymond, Tatum should be the primary rotation, with Keldon Johnson and Javale being the next guys based on matchup, and then Lavine only if someone gets hurt, or maybe if they want to limit someone like Lillard or Booker’s minutes…losing Beal means Booker becomes more important, and I do wonder what they do about not having a floor spacing big in certain matchups, losing Kevin Love, who is also a loss for his rebounding, which is also more important in some matchups