Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is expected to be a part of the Team USA roster that competes in the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. According to The Athletic’s duo, there’s a belief that Holiday has made a commitment to USA Basketball officials in recent weeks.
Holiday is one of several players who are considered locks for the 12-man U.S. roster as long as they remain healthy and interested. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum also fall into that group, per Charania and Vardon.
Holiday holds a player option for the 2024/25 season, but he’ll become eligible to sign a long-term extension with the Celtics on April 1 (he’s technically extension-eligible already, but can only currently sign a short-term deal). Getting an extension done this spring would put the veteran guard in position to compete with Team USA this summer without having to worry about an unresolved contract situation.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Jaylin Galloway, a 21-year-old forward who played for the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League this season, is generating NBA interest and is a candidate to sign with a team before the end of the 2023/24 season, Marc Stein writes in his latest article at Substack. Galloway played in last July’s Las Vegas Summer League with the Timberwolves, who are one of many teams around the NBA with an open roster spot.
- LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George sit atop a list of the top 25 free agents of 2024 compiled by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. James and George are considered likely to remain with their respective teams in Los Angeles, while Maxey will be a restricted free agent and will almost certainly sign a lucrative long-term deal with Philadelphia.
- Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic takes a look at the NBA’s new rule requiring players to appear in at least 65 games for award consideration, noting that it was a priority for the league ahead of negotiations for its next media rights deal. As Vorkunov writes, before the rule was implemented, at least one the NBA’s major television partners had expressed frustration to the NBA about star players sitting out marquee broadcasts.
What isn’t getting enough attention isn’t the fact star players aren’t playing, but the fact even when they do so many games are unwatchable now thanks to the modern offensive numbers. Look at how many games this season include teams winning by 30+ points.
5 teams have lost over 40 games by 30+ this season. 12 teams have lost over 30 games. Almost every team has lost at least 20 by that margin. When it’s the third quarter and the game is over because one team made 20 3s and now the other team rests all their starters or just keeps running up and chucking missed 3s back it’s a terrible product to watch.
There was literally an article about the NBA board of directors meeting to discuss that exact issue *yesterday*.
The one day I don’t check the news I guess
unwatchable lol then don’t watch it. Watch WNBA or college basketball or HS basketball or AAU or NBL or women’s college or girls HS or European ball or FIBA or BIG3 or G-League or any of the other options out there. Find one that u like & enjoy that. Try to be less of a hater
That is exactly what I have done. I prefer college basketball to pro because I prefer the team concept not the 1 on 5 concept so prevalent in the NBA.
I’m not a hater. I love the game of basketball I love the NBA. When it’s a close game it’s great. When it’s 130-90 it’s boring. I love the NFL too. A 35-31 or a 24-20 game is a lot better than 45-17. I love CFB as well the first few weeks when it’s Alabama vs the Colorado College of Mining the game is boring. Alabama vs Georgia is good.
Womp Womp
What really needs to be examined more than anything else, is referees who are fixing games(or at minimum shaving points during games). It’s across the board, affecting every team in the League, and it’s quite difficult watch many times The team who benefits the most from this is Boston. They allow the least amount of FTs and apparently commit the least amount of fouls, yet shoot more FTs than just about any other team, while also shooting more 3s than any team in the NBA. It’s becoming incre
If they’re starting off with a core of Steph, Jrue, Ant, Tatum, PG, Bron, KD, Joel & ADavis I can guarantee the gold with the same certainty as the 2012 squad
Yeah, if everyone stays healthy, its gonna be like the all star game if everybody is trying if that makes sense. Cant wait to see it unfold
I really like the 65 game rule, In the long run, most guys dont get awards if they dont play 65 anyway. I also don’t have much sympathy for guys not wanting to play said amount of games, you get paid tens of millions of dollars to play basketball, so maybe your main focus should be…. Playing Basketball. All in All, huge fan of the rule it takes a big step forward in finding a balance. Another Adam Silver W