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Team USA had its first practice last Tuesday as part of opening their training camp in preparation for the Rio Olympics. The Americans are looking to defend their gold medal in the summer games.
To close out their session, the team had shooting drills and after everyone left the court, one stayed behind and decided he wasn’t leaving until hitting 10 left corner catch-and-shoot threes in a row. It was Klay Thompson. He had already outshined the others on the other drills, but he wasn't contented with that, He refined his shooting form, and eventually made his goal.
This kind of dedication and work ethic has drawn praise from the team's head coach, Mike Krzyzewski. In a report by Kurt Helin for NBC Sports, the legendary coach had this to say about the possible starting two-guard for Team USA:
“Klay is one of the great, complete players on this planet, He’s more than a shooter, he’s an outstanding offensive player who loves to play defense — and never really seems to get tired. He has a great motor.”
The Golden State Warriors‘ guard responded and could not hide his delight with the good words he's received:
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“Wow, that means a lot, Coach K’s words, he’s seen so much basketball it means a lot. He’s a joy to play for, especially how prideful he is to be the coach of the USA — he doesn’t have to do this, but he wants to. That pride of will trickles down to everybody else on this team.”
He may have had a long season in the NBA, which did not end according to plan for the Warriors after losing in the finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thompson had all the reasons to skip the Olympics and opt to get some much needed rest, but still chose to suit up and represent his country.
“Mentally and physically it’s a long season, the way it ended was very taxing, But you take a couple weeks off, and you’re itching to get back on the court. And this is too great an opportunity to pass up. I always dreamed of playing in the Olympics; I’d rather do it when I’m 26 not 30. I’m fresh, I’m young, and I’m having a lot of fun.”
There may be some differences in the way the NBA plays the game compared to FIBA, and one example would be the ball that's being used. The international ball is made of leather but feels synthetic and slick, and when it gets applied with sweat, it can slid off someone's hand easily. But Thompson is already used to this setup. He has played for the Select Team before and now with the main team.
With the amount of work he's putting in right now plus his already proven shooting touch, the world better watch out as this spells even more trouble for the other competing teams.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/video-klay-thompson-steph-curry-compete-3-point-contest-kids-choice-awards/”]NEXT: VIDEO: Klay Thompson and Steph Curry compete in a 3-point contest at the Kids’ Choice Awards[/button]
