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player ready...Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine is heading to the Tokyo Olympics to try to help Team USA win the gold medal, and along the way he’s going to see a couple of familiar faces and teammates.
First in Las Vegas, LaVine will be joined by rookie forward Patrick Williams, who was named to the US Select Team that will train and compete alongside the Olympic squad during training camp, which kicked off Tuesday.
And then in Tokyo, LaVine and Team USA will be in the same group as guard Tomá Satoransk , who helped the Czech Republic qualify for its first trip to the Olympics in men’s basketball with a strong performance in the FIBA qualifying tournament.
So the Bulls will have some representation on the international stage with a few weeks to go before the Olympics begin. Here’s a look at the three players getting ready for action.
Zach LaVine’s enthusiasm ‘jumped through the phone.’
Throughout the regular season, whenever LaVine was asked about his interest in representing Team USA, he never was shy about his desire to compete on the Olympic stage.
So when the call arrived from Jerry Colangelo, the managing director for the men’s national team, to invite LaVine for one of the 12 roster spots, his excitement was palpable.
“He’s full of enthusiasm,” Colangelo told reporters during a conference call last month. “He almost jumped through the phone he was so excited about the opportunity. And I love that. When you have a few people who maybe didn’t expect to be there who are just so exuberant about the opportunity, they add a lot of juice to the whole situation. That’s where he falls.
“I think he’ll make a contribution in whatever amount of time he might get. He’ll be ready to go. He’s going to push some people, and I like that.”
LaVine never has made the postseason in his seven NBA seasons, so the Olympics will give him the biggest stage in his career to date. Team USA is going for its fourth consecutive gold medal with a stacked roster that includes Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal, among others.
Only three players — Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Jimmy Butler — have won an Olympic gold medal while playing for the Bulls.
With such a loaded and talented team, particularly full of scoring firepower, it will be worth watching to see where LaVine fits in coach Gregg Popovich’s rotation.
LaVine will be well-rested, however, considering the Bulls missed the postseason for the fourth consecutive season, especially compared with Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, all of whom are playing in the NBA Finals.
“Zach’s come a long way in terms of his game,” Colangelo said. “He’s a freak athlete in that sense, capable of going off and capable of putting some big numbers out there.”
Tomá Satoransk helped the Czech Republic qualify for its first Olympics.
As LaVine’s backcourt mate during the regular season, Satoransk usually is focused on his role as a passer and facilitator for the offense. For his country, however, Satoransk takes on a much bigger role.
Satoransk was named the tournament MVP in Victoria, British Columbia, as he led the Czech Republic to Tokyo by averaging 16 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
He sent the host team home with the game-winning basket in overtime to seal an upset victory over Canada in the semifinals and then produced a steady 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals to lead the Czech Republic past Greece in the finals.
“It doesn’t matter how I play individually,” Satoransk told reporters after the game. “Obviously it’s nice, but we came here just to qualify for the Olympics.”
The reward for the Czech Republic is a spot in Group A, the same group as the United States. So Satoransk and LaVine will face off on July 31.
Patrick Williams was named to the USA Select Team.
Williams never had a proper offseason to get ready for his rookie year in the NBA — thrown into a rigorous schedule within a month of being drafted. But in his first full summer between basketball seasons, his schedule already is getting jam-packed with opportunities to continue his development.
He will travel to Las Vegas as part of the 17-player roster for the Team USA men’s Select Team, getting the chance to train and compete with the veteran stars of the national team. LaVine was a member of the Select Team before the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.
“We talked about it, went to dinner (Monday), had an in-depth conversation about his time on the Select Team,” Williams said after the first day of camp Tuesday. “He just told me to be myself, play my game. That’s pretty much all he said as far as basketball, but he definitely encouraged me to be a sponge around those guys.
“He told me how much he learned when he was on the Select Team and how great of an experience that was for him and how that propelled him forward to be the player he is now.”
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It’s a unique opportunity that doesn’t come often. And it gives Williams, who made the NBA’s All-Rookie second team, the chance to play with some top young stars in the game, including Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton from the 2020 draft class, Tyler Herro, Miles Bridges and more. The Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra will coach the team.
USA Basketball’s training camp will last a few weeks, and then Williams is scheduled to return to Las Vegas in August for Summer League action. Williams was the second-youngest player in the NBA last season, and opportunities such as these should only help improve his development.
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