Things are starting to pick up for the Los Angeles Lakers. They are two Golden State Warriors wins away from getting their head coach, Luke Walton. The NBA Draft is a hair more than two weeks away, where they’ll seemingly end up with Duke’s Brandon Ingram. Shortly after, on July 1st, Free Agency opens. Between that and the 2016 NBA Summer League, the Team USA Men’s Basketball team will be getting ready for their run for Olympic Gold. No Lakers are on the Olympic roster, but a couple will be in Vegas to help get the select few ready to go for the Summer Games.
Back on May 12th, it was announced that D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle were both invited to play for the USA Select Team help the Olympic team prepare for their trip to Rio. Today, USA Basketball named their official 25-Man select team roster, and both Russell and Randle were…selected (Ba dum tiss) to participate.
The camp takes place from July 18th to the 21st in Las Vegas, Nevada. Russell will most likely be in Vegas for Summer League basketball, while Randle has stated he’ll forego another stint on the Lakers SL Team. The USA Basketball camp should provide invaluable experience to the two, being able to go head to head against some of the finest basketball players this country has to offer.
Another name chosen for the Select Team is (#FutureLaker) Brandon Ingram. If the night of June 23rd pans out like expected, there will be three Lakers in Vegas representing the USA’s young talent. Ingram will likely have played in Summer League ball with Russell, giving those two an early opportunity to get assimilated with each other on the court.
Other names on the 25-man roster include Devin Booker, Justice Winslow, Jahlil Okafor, and Brice Johnson (S/O to Gary). Players such as Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson all started their international basketball careers on the Select Team. This experience opens the door for these young Lakers to make an impression on USA Basketball, furthering their chances of becoming a part of the National Team in the future.
Here is the official release by USA Basketball.
