LeBron James saves Team USA, again; Packers not feeling the Love at training camp

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Let’s get right to it.

Good morning to everyone, but especially to …

LeBRON JAMES

On Monday morning, LeBron James was selected as an Olympic flag bearer, the first USA men’s basketball player to earn the honor. Hours later, he showed why. James put Team USA on his back and carried it over the finish line, scoring the team’s final 11 points in a 92-88 win over Germany. It was the United States’ final tuneup before it opens Olympic play Sunday against Serbia.

• James’ heroics came two days after he scored the game-winning layup against South Sudan. Against Germany, James once again led the Americans in scoring (20 points) while hitting 8 of 11 shots, including both of his 3-pointers.
• Five other U.S. players reached double figures, with Joel Embiid scoring 15 points and adding nine rebounds, his best showcase game so far.

Still, back-to-back close games for Team USA and the need for James to close them out are concerning. The United States attempted just 17 3-pointers, with the offense often stagnant as one or two players tried to hunt mismatches. The U.S. also turned the ball over 14 times, forced just seven turnovers and gave up 14 offensive rebounds. As a result, Germany took 12 more shots than the U.S. did and nearly pulled off the upset despite shooting just 36% compared to the United States’ 49%.

There’s no doubting the absurd talent and depth on the U.S. roster, but there’s plenty of doubting the fit and the chemistry.

Outside of Stephen Curry (who revealed James would be a flag bearer), there’s no one who takes a lot of catch-and-shoot 3s, making spacing an issue, and there are always several guys on the court used to being their team’s top option, making the rhythm and off-ball movement awkward. On the defensive end, there are issues with defending screens, among other aspects. Combine that with the ever-improving international scene, and the U.S. is in for quite the battle in the Olympics over the coming weeks. Luckily, it still has James leading the way and proving that even at 39, that’s as good an option as any.

James Herbert has more on the performance, including why defense will be so important, and not for the reasons you may think.

Honorable mentions

• Ohio State is the Big Ten preseason favorite. We also have Big Ten position and coach rankings and top storylines ahead of this week’s media days. Things get started in just a few hours.
• The Braves called up Nacho Alvarez.
• The Mavericks signed Spencer Dinwiddie.
• Chuck Booth assessed what would qualify as success for the USMNT U23s at the Olympic Games.
• Meet the man who led SMU‘s return to power conference football.

And not such a good morning for …

JORDAN LOVE AND THE PACKERS

There’s some drama at Packers training camp, but Green Bay isn’t worried … for now. Jordan Love will not practice with the team until he has a new deal, though he is with the team and attending meetings.

Last year, the Packers and Love agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $22.5 million deal (with $13.5 million guaranteed) in 2024 instead of exercising his fifth-year option, and after Love’s breakout year, that looks like a genius move from Green Bay. Finally the full-time starter after sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for three years, Love threw for 32 touchdowns and led the youngest playoff team since 1974 to an outstanding wild-card win over the Cowboys.

Love’s production clearly outpaced his earnings: His $13.5 million average annual value ranks 19th among quarterbacks and is a steep drop off from Geno Smith, who is 18th but all the way up at $25 million annually. For more context, Dak Prescott, Daniel Jones and Matthew Stafford are all at $40 million annually, roughly three times Love’s value … and that’s still only tied for 12th among quarterbacks.

The good news is that Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said while he’d prefer Love to be practicing, he understands Love’s perspective and is optimistic things will get done sooner rather than later, seeing as both sides want a long-term deal.

But Gutekunst also mentioned that these types of deals can take time, and a recent report said the two sides were still far from an agreement. As such, Sean Clifford is getting starter reps, and Love is missing valuable opportunities to build his burgeoning connection with several talented young receiving options, new star running back Josh Jacobs and a new-look offensive line.

Things may be — and likely will be — just fine. Love will get a new deal, and things will return to normal. But for a team looking to leap from “promising young group” to “legitimate Super Bowl contender,” this isn’t the ideal start to training camp.

Not so honorable mentions

• Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will miss the MLS All-Star Game.
• Jim Phillips is not happy with the legal disputes between the ACC and Clemson/Florida State.

NBA lottery pick grades as Summer League comes to close

Congratulations, Heat! You’re NBA champions! Well, NBA Summer League champions, at least. Miami took home the Vegas crown with a 120-118 overtime victory over the Grizzlies. Pelle Larsson made a tough leaner in the lane to reach the Elam Ending target score of 120. (The Elam Ending is awesome, by the way!) Jalen Wilson was named Summer League MVP.

If you’re saying to yourself “who?” when you hear names like Pelle Larsson and Jalen Wilson, that’s OK (even though it also means you’re not a huge college basketball fan, which should change). Larsson was a 2024 second-round pick out of Arizona, and Wilson was a 2023 second-round selection from Kansas who played a small role for the Nets as a rookie. For many (but not all) Summer League stars, these few weeks every summer in Las Vegas are as good as it gets. Cameron Salerno took in all the action and handed out grades to every lottery pick; one earned an “A+.”

• Salerno: “No. 3 pick: Reed Sheppard, Rockets — Sheppard was statistically the best 3-point shooter in this draft class, and although the numbers from Vegas weren’t great (5 of 18 shooting from distance) his shot will translate in the NBA. One of the biggest knocks on his game during the pre-draft process was positional size, but he made up for it with his active hands, which resulted in him recording 11 steals in four games. It’s easy to make overreactions after watching players in the summer league, but there’s a real case that Sheppard should’ve gone higher in the draft. I’m curious what Sheppard’s role will be with the Rockets once the season starts, but he should be playing significant minutes — even if it’s off the bench. Regardless, it appears the Rockets found their point guard of the future. Grade: A+“

The following players joined Sheppard in the “A” range:

• No. 4 pick Stephon Castle, Spurs: A-
• No. 7 pick Donovan Clingan, Trail Blazers: A-
• No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham, Timberwolves: A-
• No. 11 pick Matas Buzelis, Bulls: A-
• No. 14 pick Carlton Carrington (we call him “Bub”), Wizards: A

WNBA Power Rankings: Where things stand at Olympic break

It’ll be nearly a month until WNBA action resumes. That means it’s the perfect time to take the view from 30,000 feet with Jack Maloney’s Power Rankings, which look at the good and the bad from every team. Let’s start with Jack’s top five:

1. Liberty (previous: 1)
2. Sun (3)
3. Aces (2)
4. Storm (5)
5. Lynx (4)

New York has a 2½-game lead for first and owns the league’s highest scoring offense, the league’s top scoring margin and a four-game winning streak. But it hasn’t all gone to plan, Jack writes.

• Maloney: “The bad: Recent injury concerns — There’s been few negatives in New York this season, but some of the injuries that popped up just before the break weren’t ideal. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton underwent knee surgery and is expected back in 4-6 weeks, while Breanna Stewart heads to Paris nursing a sore hamstring.”

In a sense, though, this break comes at the perfect time so the Liberty can be on the mend for the stretch run.

Speaking of the Olympics, Team USA took plenty of positives from its loss to Team WNBA in the All-Star Game, Isabel Gonzalez writes.

What we’re watching Tuesday

 Women’s basketball: Team USA vs. Germany, 3 p.m. on FS1
Mets at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on TBS