Basketball Intelligence for 8/8/24
Lauri Markkanen, Olympics, and more!
League and Olympic Stories
One-on-one with Grant Hill: Why build Team USA like this? He had one big worry
Joe Vardon, The Athletic
But for now, the uncertainty Hill admitted to about building a USA team around James, 39, Curry, 36, and Durant, 35, is the key to the two most important developments with the Americans this summer.
For one, it illustrates just how good James has been for Team USA, rising to a level neither Hill nor several others inside the program knew he would reach.
Secondly, it explains why the U.S. team broke from past practice of tabbing eight or nine NBA star-level players and mixing them with three role players to form an Olympic team. Hill overloaded Team USA with talent as a “just in case,” and it has led to some uncomfortable decisions for coach Steve Kerr.
U.S. 'can't get lulled to sleep' by past wins vs. Jokic, Serbia
Brian Windhorst, ESPN
Early Predictions on Who's Making the Finals in the East
John Jablonka, Simply Ballin
Western Conference Offseason Overview, Pacific Division
Ray LeBov/Nick Agar-Johnson, Kings Weekly
How New Salary-Cap Rules Limit Every NBA Team
Eric Pincus, Bleacher Report
10 NBA Free Agents Who Can Still Help Every Team
Grant Hughes, Bleacher Report
NBA all-21-and-under mock draft: Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero top the list
Staff, The Athletic