The Los Angeles Clippers have determined it best that their star, Kawhi Leonard, to sit out the Olympics. The organization deemed it best he take the time to prepare for the upcoming NBA season and withdraw from Team USA. As a result, Boston Celtics guard, Derrick White, will take his place on the Team USA roster.
“Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas,” said USA Basketball in the statement. “He felt ready to compete. However, he respects that USA Basketball and the Clippers determined it’s in his best interest to spend the remainder of the summer preparing for the upcoming season rather than participating in the Olympic Games in Paris.”
The Clippers are being cautious with their star player considering his injury history. Not to mention, they also lost Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason.
Kawhi Leonard to Sit Out Olympics, Derrick White to Take His Place
Derrick White Coming Off a Terrific Season
Derrick White is more than deserving to take Leonard’s place on Team USA. Some could argue that NBA Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown, deserved it more and maybe so, but White was one of the best role players in the league this past season. He will fit well with the rest of the stars on the team. White is a player willing to do the dirty work and make hustle plays that will not always show up in the box score.
A low maintenance player like him will be a solid replacement for Kawhi Leonard. This past year, the Celtics guard averaged 15.2 points, 1.2 blocks, 1.0 steals, 5.2 assists, and 4.2 total rebounds per game while tallying an effective field goal percentage of 57.8 percent. White’s production was vital in Boston’s route to an NBA championship.
Team USA Still Favored to Take Home the Gold Medal
Team USA will be fine without Kawhi Leonard on the roster. They still have the most stacked team out of anyone in Olympic play. With the amount of star power on the team, anything less than a Gold medal will be viewed as a disappointment. Team USA will certainly have a bit of competition considering the NBA game has reached international levels. Teams such as Canada, Serbia, Greece, and Spain boast some premier NBA talent. Regardless, Team USA is still heavily favored to take home the Gold medal this summer and for good reason.
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