D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle have been invited to spend the summer helping the United States’ top players prepare for a shot at Olympic gold.
The Lakers duo has received an invitation to play for the USA Select Team, which will be made up of the NBA’s top, young American players.
The Select Team’s main responsibility is to scrimmage against the National Team at training camp, which begins July 17 in Las Vegas. Following that, the National Team will embark on a five-game exhibition tour — including a friendly against China at Staples Center on July 24 — before the Olympic Games begin on Aug. 6.
Russell led all rookies in steals (1.2) and 3-pointers (1.6) this season after being tabbed the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He also averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his debut year in purple and gold.
Meanwhile, Randle — who played only 14 minutes before his rookie season was shortened by a broken leg — finished 10th in the NBA, and second among non-centers, in rebounding (10.2) during his first full season. His 34 double-doubles ranked 15th overall and were more than twice as many as any other sophomore.
Randle previously played for the U.S. Junior Select Team at the 2013 Nike Hoop Summit, where he scored 19 points in the exhibition for the nation’s top high schoolers.
