USA Basketball Men's National Team builds camaraderie in competitive training camp

By KJ Turkson

Las Vegas, Nevada -- Despite not having any scheduled competitions until the summer of 2019, the USA Basketball Men’s National Team held a brief, yet potentially pivotal, two-day minicamp at the Mendenhall Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas this past Thursday and Friday.

While many of the big names that have successfully led the program in the past -- such as NBA superstars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul -- weren’t in attendance, the camp did have significance in that it was the first occasion for coach Gregg Popovich to lead the team after replacing the departed Mike Krzyzewski.

“This has been nothing about O’s and X’s or strategy, it's all about people, relationships, the beginning steps of forming a team, with guys who enjoy playing with each other, and want to play for each other, and feel responsible to each other," said Popovich of the training camp which has no subsequent exhibition games on the schedule.  "I saw that today. Their energy and their competitiveness was off the charts. I didn’t know what to expect in that regard, but I was very impressed with it, so those are the goals: the camaraderie, the relationship, understanding what this is, and how important it is, and how much fun they can have playing for their country.”

While many top names were absent, just as many proven performers did elect to attend and compete for the right to be on the team that will play at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.  Among those stars were Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors, reigning league MVP James Harden, and the man who earned the award the previous year, former UCLA Bruin Russell Westbrook.

Also in attendance for portions of the minicamp, but held out of full-go participation were former teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, as well as Anthony Davis, Isaiah Thomas, and Mike Conley Jr.  Injured stars DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins and Gordon Hayward attended the introductory meeting, but were not present during the actual workouts.

Although the team’s time together in the sweltering, triple-digit desert heat was short, the two days of practice proved to be very spirited, as Coach Popovich and his staff of Mike Brown, Mark Few, Ime Udoka, and Jay Wright, undoubtedly made their standards for effort and competitiveness quite clear at the introductory team meeting on Wednesday.

“We’ve brought a lot of assistant coaches this year," said Popovich.  "Just to expose them, they know all the players, and it’s fun for them to be here, to be a part of it, and I think it helps their development too.”

To further cultivate the competitive atmosphere, the team was divided up to include different levels of stars across four squads.  To wit, early on Day One, a three-man Team USA White squad composed of Russell Westbrook, Demar Derozan, and Eric Gordon, faced the Blue team consisting of Victor Oladipo, Kevin Durant, and Harrison Barnes.  On one sequence, Durant helped off his man to dash across the lane and emphatically erase a driving layup attempt by his former teammate Westbrook.

Later, during a four-on-four drill, the Team USA Red squad comprised of Kemba Walker, James Harden, Tobias Harris, and Khris Middleton, enjoyed some successful run and seemed to work well together, with Myles Turner also working in with them. Meanwhile, the Yellow squad featuring Paul George, Devin Booker, John Wall, and Blake Griffin not only shot the ball well, but also impressed on defense.

During another portion of practice, Durant, Kyle Lowry, Oladipo, and Barnes were paired together on the Blue team against Booker, Wall, George, and Griffin.  Booker and company executed well and held their own in that matchup.

In a later full court scrimmage, Damian Lillard, Durant, Lowry, Barnes, and Oladipo were teamed up in Blue, while Conley Jr., Walker, Harden, Harris, and Turner worked as a unit for the Red squad.  The contest illustrated the likely guard and wing-centric nature of the future Team USA roster when the final cuts are made.

The intra-squad game also brought out the competitive spirit from a group of elite players who understand that it is still a tremendous honor to represent the country.

"How often do you get an opportunity to be on the floor and compete with all the best players in the league," asked Lillard.  "Even the shooting drills, you are just out there with the best."

Another scrimmage further demonstrated this emphasis on small ball when a Blue team comprised of Walker, DeMar DeRozan, Westbrook, Durant, and Andre Drummond, faced a White team of Lowry, Griffin, George, Gordon, and Booker.

“This is what we signed up for, to push one another to get better, to draw the best out of one another, its fun," said George.  "Whether we’re teammates or we’re in drills where we’re going against each other, it’s always going to be an elevated game . . . a lot of it is the environment, what Coach put us through, where we don’t have a choice but to get better, and play at a high level.”

Following the end of the camp's final practice on Day Two, a group that included Durant, George, Oladipo, Booker, and Turner, played iso 1-on-1.  An injured, yet noticeably thicker Kyrie Irving -- by appearances he looked to have packed on a good 10 pounds of muscle -- threw entry passes to those players in the post. The group went at it in a highly competitive session for a good 45 minutes after practice had ended, with Durant, George, and Oladipo standing out.

Mission accomplished, Coach Popovich.