Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart was among 25 players officially chosen Tuesday for the USA Select team that will train wth the US men’s national basketball team that will play in the Summer Olympics.
The select team includes current NBA players as well as college players who are eligible for this month’s NBA Draft.
Smart, who completed his second season with the Celtics in April, averaged 9.1 points and 3.0 assists last season. His previous USA Basketball appearances include the national team minicamp in 2013, the Select Team in 2014, and as a member of world championship youth teams in 2013 (U-19) and 2012 (U-18).
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will oversee the Select Team, which will train in Las Vegas July 18-21 with the Olympic team.
Boston Globe – Celtics’ Marcus Smart chosen to train against Olympic squad
With the way NBA players keep backing out of this summer’s Olympic games, maybe Marcus will move up from the Select team to the big leagues — he certainly has enough Team USA experience at this point.
Going into year three in the league, Smart will be an elder statesman on a team that includes a batch of incoming rookies and a bunch of second year players. Marcus showed flashes in the playoffs of the foundation player he can be and hopefully a summer under the tutelage of Pop, playing against some of the NBA’s best will only engender more growth.
He’ll have to be careful not to talk about his love life too freely, though, D’Angelo Russell is indeed one of his teammates.
Related links: Herald – Celtics’ Marcus Smart named to USA Select team
On page 2, the Big Three back together
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
Three years into the new-look Celtics and with an emphasis towards what could be, it’s far easier to lose track of what was just a short time ago — KG, Paul and Rondo and a six year run of incredibly fun, competitive basketball. It’s refreshing and nostalgia-inducing seeing that the three guys spend some of their free time together — clearly their time together in Boston was impactful.
Just as noticeable as these three back together is the all-star member missing from this shot. While these three hang out, Ray Allen is probably on a golf course by himself, perfecting his craft. Probably suits him best, anyways.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
