Kawhi Leonard has withdrawn from Team USA and Derrick White has been added, giving the Boston Celtics three members of the Olympic squad along with Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday.
Karalis' Analysis: White was always in line to replace Leonard, and frankly it was a surprise that Leonard made it this far. His inclusion never made sense from anyone's perspective considering the condition of his knee.
There is some question as to which Celtic should have replaced Leonard. The easy question to ask is why not Jaylen Brown over Leonard since it's one wing replacing another, but again, the inclusion of Leonard seemed to be more courtesy than anything when it comes to team construction. White adds a do-it-all guard who can start next to Steph Curry or run a second unit. He can play off the ball with anyone and he's obviously a tenacious defender and killer 3-point shooter. The more versatile a player can be, the better, especially for international play.
But as I've written and said before, the more Celtics who can get first-hand advice from guys like Steve Kerr and Steph Curry about what it takes to prepare themselves for multiple playoff runs, the better. The more time they get around Kevin Durant and LeBron James to talk about longevity, the better. This is a real opportunity for these guys to gain a lot of knowledge.
And on top of that, White and Holiday now have opportunities to learn how Joel Embiid ticks. They can run pick-and-rolls with him and learn about how he wants the ball, what spots he likes, and maybe some personal tendencies that aren't quite evident on film. Adding another pick-and-roll ball handler to the mix gives Boston an opportunity to cull a personal scouting report out of Embiid, maybe getting him to unwittingly spill some secrets that can be used against him later.
Aside from all that, and most simply, it's a hell of an honor for White. Think of how far he's come from a somewhat timid player lacking some confidence to a champion, an Olympian, and also $118 million dollars coming his way. White has come a long way and has proven himself to be an indispensable player for the Celtics. I'd argue that aside from Tatum and Brown, White is the most valuable Celtic moving forward because of all the things he can do and how easily he fits with others.
We've seen that all season with the Celtics, now we'll see how much of an impact he makes next to the league's best on Team USA.