Detroit Pistons guard Saddiq Bey on Tuesday called the experience of participating with the USA Basketball select team very beneficial for his development.
Bey, who was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team, was among 17 players named to the select team that opened training camp this week in Las Vegas, Nevada. The select team is practicing and scrimmaging daily to prepare the U.S. national team for the Olympics.
The experience for Bey and the rest of the select team will serve as a valuable opportunity to learn from some of the best players and coaches in the world. They will have the chance to pick the brains of Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum and others.
“It is very beneficial to be able to play different guys and a different role,” Bey said. “Just being able to adapt and run other systems and other sets and learn from different people. There is a lot of wisdom here and a lot of experience here, so I think it is very beneficial to learn from some of the best.”
For Bey, the invitation to compete with the select team was a surprise. He had not participated in any earlier Team USA events, but he certainly welcomed the opportunity to help prepare the national team.
“It was a surprise,” Bey said. “It is my first time being a part of a USA event so it’s a blessing and an honor. Once I found out, I was ecstatic for the opportunity and continue to work and trying to be the best I can and help the main team bring home the gold.”
Bey averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 70 games this season while setting the Pistons rookie record for most 3-pointers made. His 175 3-pointers marked the third-highest by any rookie in NBA history, and he also had the most games with at least six 3s with five.
The U.S. will be among five countries that will play five exhibition games in Las Vegas prior to heading to Japan for the Olympics. The Americans will face Nigeria on July 10; two games against Australia and one apiece versus Argentina and Spain will follow.
Preliminary play in the Olympics, which will feature 12 teams across three groups, will begin July 25 and run through Aug. 2. The quarterfinals will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase.
The semifinals will take place on Aug. 5 with the gold and bronze medal games on Aug. 7.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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