Derrick White viewed as ‘potential candidate’ for Team USA ahead of 2024 Olympics
In mid-April, the Team USA men’s basketball team originally essentially finalized 11 of the 12 roster spots ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the possibility of leaving the final one open. Though it appears another player could be in the mix to make the team–albeit as an injury replacement.
According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Boston Celtics guard Derrick White is viewed as a real candidate to be apart of the team if Kawhi Leonard–whose season was cut short once again, this time due to knee inflammation–isn’t healthy enough to play.
“I’m told Derrick White looms as a real potential candidate for Team USA in the Summer Olympics if Kawhi Leonard is unable to successfully rehab back from that knee inflammation that kept him out of the back-end of the playoffs,” Wojnarowski reported Friday ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.
Assuming the 11 locks remain the same and assuming White replaces Leonard, he would be the third Celtics player on Team USA, joining Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday. Only the Phoenix Suns–Kevin Durant and Devin Booker–have multiple players from one NBA team on it.
Here are the aforementioned locks:
- Bam Adebayo, Heat
- Devin Booker, Suns
- Stephen Curry, Warriors
- Anthony Davis, Lakers
- Kevin Durant, Suns
- Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
- Joel Embiid, 76ers
- Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
- Jrue Holiday, Celtics
- LeBron James, Lakers
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics
Haliburton was another player who suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston. Though Haliburton still plans on playing.
“The hamstring is good,” Haliburton said this week, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “Today I ran for the first time full speed. I got another three weeks before USA. I feel good. I’m really excited to get out there and do that.”
White’s impact goes beyond the box score.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old averaged 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists this season, shooting 46.1 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from deep (6.8 3PA; 59.0 3PAr) and 90.1 percent from the free-throw line.
White is one of the best defensive playmakers in the entire league. He made All-Defensive second team for the second consecutive season and finished in the top-10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting, won by Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert. He posted 2.5 stocks per 75 possessions and is a player with enough size, dexterity, mobility and physicality to be a steady multi-positional disruptor defensively.
White, along with his teammate Holiday, would be the only two players who did not make the All-Star team to make Team USA if he was included in the mix.
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