LeBron James will return to the Olympics this summer in hopes of winning his third gold medal. At this stage in his career, he doesn’t need to compete on the international stage, but fans are certainly glad he will.
With that said, Joe Vardon of The Athletic provided an update on James’ outlook for the Olympics.
Vardon revealed that James is unlikely to come off the bench for Team USA. Apparently, the plan is for him to be the primary facilitator in the starting lineup.
“James coming off the bench, probably won’t happen,” Vardon wrote. “I spoke with two USA Basketball sources and both cast serious doubt on the idea…James, the sources said, will likely play point forward for the Americans as a starter, moving Curry off the ball.”
This report shouldn’t really surprise anyone. James is still an elite playmaker despite his age.
For what it’s worth, Team USA coach Steve Kerr was recently asked about his starting lineup for the Olympics. As you’d expect, he refrained from sharing any juicy information.
“It’s a great question, and my staff and I have talked about it quite a bit. It’s a good problem to have, but I’m guessing that all 12 players on this roster will be in the Hall of Fame someday,” Kerr said, via ESPN. “So how do you pick five out of 12? The idea is you find combinations that click and, and you find two-way lineups that can be effective at both ends.
“So our big job in Las Vegas is to find five-man combinations that fit and to just ask all 12 guys to fully commit to the goal of winning a gold medal no matter what it looks like, no matter who’s playing.”
The Olympics will begin on July 26. Do you think Team USA will take home the gold?
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