Team USA Basketball Showcase 2015: TV, Live Stream Schedule for Blue vs. White
USA basketball has convened in Las Vegas for its 2015 minicamp, and a star-studded roster of NBA talent is slated to hit the floor at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center Thursday evening for an intrasquad scrimmage.
And with players like reigning MVP Stephen Curry, James Harden, Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and many, many more ready to participate in the offseason exhibition that will serve as a nice appetizer for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Thursday's clash should offer plenty of highlights for fans who need their basketball appetites satisfied.
USA Today's Sam Amick provided a look at the two sides that will square off Thursday night:
When: Thursday, Aug. 13
Where: Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
TV Info: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant has made a swift recovery from bone graft surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot, and as a result, he's participated in drills with the rest of his Team USA teammates this week.
And as the NBA displayed on Vine, his shot has looked as silky as ever:
"I'm feeling great," Durant said Tuesday, according to Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick. "I can go 100 percent."
However, just because the 2013-14 MVP is feeling physically fit doesn't mean he'll be taking the floor for the exhibition. According to ESPN.com's Royce Young, Durant will sit out Thursday night's proceedings as he continues to take a cautious route to rehabilitation.
LeBron James won't be participating in the scrimmage, but "USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo made attendance in Vegas mandatory for any player who wishes to be considered for the 2016 Olympic squad," according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Shifting gears to on-court action, Thursday's scrimmage will offer players on the fringe of the roster a chance to state their cases for selection to the 12-man squad as the 2016 Olympics approach.
While entrenched studs like Harden, Curry, Davis, Griffin, Durant, Russell Westbrook and James—assuming he wants to participate—are mortal locks to make the final roster, the scrimmage will provide up-and-comers like Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard opportunities to strut their stuff.
And a look at past personnel trends could indicate which players already have the upper hand.
"Coach K likes to have one defensive-minded, shutdown wing on the roster," Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin wrote. "Kobe Bryant played that role brilliantly in 2008, Andre Iguodala was there in 2012, now it is Leonard’s turn. Plus he gets them buckets in transition."
Beyond Leonard, Green is a particularly intriguing possibility for Mike Krzyzewski's side.
Although the combo-forward is undersized at 6'7", Green's amorphous on-court shape allows him to defend all five positions and make opposing defenses pay with his skills as a pick-and-pop shooter or aggressive driver in the pick-and-roll.
Coming off a standout season that saw Green finish as one of two players—along with DeMarcus Cousins—to average at least 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block, per Basketball-Reference.com, the Swiss army knife has the all-around chops to warrant serious consideration.
Even though the roster won't be finalized until after the 2015-16 season is over, now's the time for rising stars in the USA program to solidify themselves as contributors for years to come.
Thursday's scrimmage will help some youngsters start carving their prosperous red, white and blue paths, but don't discount the upcoming season as the biggest determinant of eventual admission for roster hopefuls.
