Report: Raptors' VanVleet to be named to Team USA player pool
When USA Basketball unveils its expanded roster pool ahead of the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet will be among the 60 players in the running to represent the United States, sources told the Toronto Star's Doug Smith.
VanVleet, 26, has never represented Team USA at the senior level.
The undrafted fifth-year player out of Wichita State is averaging a team-best 19.1 points per game through 16 appearances to go along with 6.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. VanVleet's nine 3-point attempts per game rank fifth in the NBA; he's justified his long-range barrage by connecting on 36.1% of those looks.
The U.S. captured the gold medal at six of the past seven Olympic tournaments. The team's lone misfire in that span came at the Athens Games in 2004, where it fell to Argentina in the semifinals and had to settle for third place after beating Lithuania in the bronze medal match.
The upcoming Olympics were set to be held last summer but were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Should the rescheduled games unfold as currently slated, the opening ceremony will take place July 23 with the five-on-five basketball tournament commencing July 25.