Leonard, Haliburton and Embiid should be ready for Team USA

The head coach Steve Kerr expects a fully healthy team when Team USA begins training for the Olympics next week in Las Vegas, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That means Clippers Before Kawhi Leonard, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton And Sixers center Joel Embiidall of whom were sidelined due to injuries late in the season or during the playoffs, are likely to participate.

Inflammation in his right knee kept Leonard out of the final eight games of the regular season and limited him to two playoff games as Los Angeles lost to Dallas in the first round. Kerr cautioned there could still be a late upset, but staffers have been in frequent contact with Leonard and expect him to be ready for camp. Sources tell Vardon there is no new structural damage to Leonard’s knee and that the inflammation is the result of previous surgeries.

Haliburton suffered a left hamstring strain in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and was unable to return as Indiana was swept by Boston. He was concerned about his availability for the Olympics when the injury occurred, but Vardon says the Pacers’ practice squad always believed he would be ready in time.

Embiid was out for more than two months after undergoing meniscus surgery in his left knee in late January. He was back in time for the playoffs, but appeared to have a knee injury in the first round against New York. He also has been dealing with a mild case of Bell’s palsy, which causes weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles.

Team USA’s training camp begins July 6, followed by an exhibition game against Canada four days later in Las Vegas. The team will travel to Abu Dhabi and London for further exhibition competitions before heading to Paris.

Deer star Giannis Antetokounmpo should see limited action when Greece takes on the Bahamas this afternoon, tweets SPORT24’s Harris Stavrou. A left calf strain forced Antetokounmpo to miss Milwaukee’s entire first-round series against Indiana. Greece must go through an Olympic qualifying tournament next week to earn a spot at the Summer Games.