The Paris Olympics are just around the corner, and Team USA announced on Wednesday that Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has officially been declared out due to injury. As of yesterday, Celtics guard Derrick White has since been confirmed to slot into things.
“Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas,” USA Basketball said in a statement. “He felt ready to compete. However, he respects that USA Basketball and the Clippers determined it’s in his best interest to spend the summer preparing for the upcoming season rather than participating in the Olympic Games in Paris.”
It's a shame Leonard won't be a part of the Olympics, but injuries have been the story throughout the last decade. He missed 256 regular-season games over the last seven years alone. This past season, he missed 12 of the Clippers' final 14 games due to right knee inflammation, with the 68 games he played last season being the most games he's played in since the 2016-17 season.
White, who recently signed a four-year, $126 million contract extension, is not a bad choice to replace Leonard. Last season, he averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 steals and shot 46.1% from the field, 39.6% on 3-pointers, and helped the Celtics win the championship. He was also named to the All-Defensive team for a second straight year. White gives Teams USA a strong defender and a very good scorer. He will join the team this weekend in Abu Dhabi for some games and practices before the Olympics start.
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