Kerr confirms Kawhi Leonard, rest of Team USA will report to camp

Team USA coach Steve Kerr said Thursday that all 12 players selected for the Olympic team — including LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard — will be present and able to participate when training camp begins in Las Vegas next week.

“We are in constant communication,” Kerr said on a conference call with reporters. “So we expect all 12 guys to be ready to roll.”

Leonard, who will turn 33 on Saturday, missed the final three games of the Clippers’ season because his surgically repaired right knee did not react the way it should in Game 3 of the Clippers’ first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. There was hope. This was the fourth consecutive season they saw their playoff run end prematurely – or not happen at all – due to injury.

“We’re going to get it right,” he told reporters after playing 25 minutes in that game against the eventual Western Conference champions. “Time will tell. But we’re doing all the right things.”

One thing that didn’t happen due to injury was that it ruled Leonard out of participating with Team USA, something that had caused at least a little surprise in NBA circles over the past few weeks.

Kerr made it clear that he expects Leonard and the rest of the team to be available when training camp begins on July 6.

“We’ve always been keeping an eye on this,” Kerr said. “We’ve been in touch with Kawhi and his guys, and he’s been working out the last few weeks. So it is, obviously every roster spot is important. You never know how these things are going to play out with injuries, Things can happen, you never know. So we’re in touch with everyone, and we’ll stay in touch with the whole group when we go to Vegas next week. There’s always a chance for a change.

“So I’ll leave everything as a possibility based on injuries, based on preparation, whatever it may be. But at this point, we fully expect all 12 guys to be ready to go. ”

This includes Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who had his season ended by a hamstring injury suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. But Haliburton, who admitted he was initially worried about being able to participate, said Thursday he is back to normal and completely ready to go to camp.

“To be honest, I think when that happened against Boston and I knew I wasn’t going to play the rest of the series, there was a little bit of concern for me,” said Haliburton, who previously injured the same hamstring. . January. “But I think our medical team did a great job of reassuring me that they were confident I would be OK for this moment and if I did the appropriate things, balancing rest with strengthening it.” Also did. Because I took time off from basketball, didn’t touch basketball for three weeks, but was trying to get movement, also trying to get stronger, because you have to do all that.

“So I feel confident about it. I will say that in the last, like, two weeks, I mean, since he said he had no concerns, he hasn’t really let me have any concerns. Now that I’m actually touching a basketball, moving around a lot, I don’t really have any worries.”

In addition to questions about injury availability heading into camp, the other question is which five players on the star-studded roster will Kerr start. Kerr said that’s something that remains up in the air and the Las Vegas training camp will help determine it.

“It’s a good question and my staff and I have talked about it a lot,” Kerr said. “It’s a nice problem to have, but I’m guessing all 12 players on this roster will be in the Hall of Fame someday. So how do you pick five of the 12? The idea is that you find combinations that click. Do that and, and you get two-way lineups that can be effective on both ends.

“So our big job in Las Vegas is to find a five-man combination that fits and ask all 12 guys to fully commit to the goal of winning a gold medal, no matter what that looks like, no matter who is playing. ”