Celtics Starter to Replace Kawhi Leonard on Team USA

With the 2024 Paris Olympics just around the corner, the USA Men’s Basketball team is still undergoing some changes.

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White is replacing Kawhi Leonard, the team announced on July 10.

The team had announced on July 9 that Leonard, of the Los Angeles Clippers, was withdrawing from Team USA.

“Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas,” Team USA tweeted. He felt ready to compete. However, he respects that USA Basketball and the Clippers determined it’s in his best interest to spend the remainder of the summer preparing for the upcoming season rather than participating in the Olympic Games in Paris.”

It would’ve been Leonard’s first appearance in the Olympics, which start July 26.

Kawhi Leonard Is Out, Derrick White Is In

Fresh off winning his first NBA championship, White’s inclusion on the team adds a layer of toughness and do-it-all attitude that fits well on the International stage. While Leonard is considered an all-world defender, White is no slouch, having made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team both of the last two seasons.

At 6-foot-4, White is smaller than Leonard and conventional wisdom would say he might struggle with bigger matchups, especially on the interior. However, according to NBA.com/stats, that’s just not the case. During the 2024 NBA Playoffs, White held opponents to 6.9% worse shooting on shots inside six feet. This was a carryover from the 2023-24 regular season, where White held opponents to 5.1% worse shooting from the same distance.

The ability to pass and space the floor is always important, as Olympic play tends to be more of a team-based attack as opposed to the one or two-man game that the NBA regularly employs. With that in mind, White is a fantastic fit. He’s a very good outside shooter, making 39.6% of his 3-pointers last season, and is also a willing passer, at 5.2 assists per game.

It doesn’t hurt that he spent the better part of five seasons playing for longtime USA Basketball coach Gregg Popovich.

Team USA’s Chances

As is tradition, Team USA will embark on an exhibition tour before the Olympics, starting with a matchup against Team Canada on July 10 in Las Vegas. USA National Teams are 34-3 in pre-Olympic contests (h/t USAB.com).

Although nobody in their right mind would choose this team over the famed Dream Team of 1992, this year’s version has more accolades than any of the previous iterations. According to USAB.com, the 2024 team will feature five players that combined to win 13 NBA Championships (add one player and one title if White is the replacement).

Team USA is currently the heavy betting favorite, at -400 at BetMGM to win the gold medal. Their roster is a “who’s who” of NBA stars, with future Hall of Famers Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James mixed with dominant big men (Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis), scoring juggernauts (Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards) and Brown’s All-NBA First-Team teammate Jayson Tatum, all coached by 9-time NBA Champion Steve Kerr (5 as a player, 4 as a coach).