We may have some clarity as to why De’Aaron Fox withdrew from Team USA in mid-August.
As originally reported by Marc Stein of the New York Times, Kobe Bryant held an invite-only camp last month for some of the biggest names in the NBA. Attendees included Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, and Paul George among many others. Some of those others included Sacramento Kings backcourt mates De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield.
Kobe Bryant, I'm told, held an invite-only camp for a few days in mid-August at his new facility in Thousand Oaks and had Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Kyrie Irving and many other NBA luminaries in attendance .. including De'Aaron Fox after he parted company with @usabasketball https://t.co/NqA3mf9qH6
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 26, 2019
According to a report by The Athletic, the workouts were grueling and lasted from 7 am until well in to the afternoon. The sessions also included off-court work on the whiteboard, discussions of half-court schemes and scenarios. There was even some light scrimmaging.
Fox and Hield’s participation in the camp is great news for the Kings. Not only were both of players able to work on and hone their individual skills, but were also together for x’s and o’s tutelage from one of the greatest players in NBA history. They were surely able to discuss how they would translate their new knowledge in to Sacramento’s game plan.
In The Athletic’s piece, it was reported that Hield was “an absolute sponge” who wanted to hear everything that Bryant had to say. This is encouraging from a guy who plays the same position that Bryant did and is looking to take yet another leap this season. It was not reported how much the camp focused on defense, but if there was, we can hope that Hield was a sponge there, too.
The camp was held on August 26th and 27th, but the sessions were kept under wraps for nearly a month. The rules that were enforced were: No guests. No cameras. No social media. No sponsors. No fluff. Just hoops.
But the revealing of the camp may bring clarity to the Team USA situation.
Fox was the subject of scrutiny when he backed out of his commitment to Team USA just before they took off for the FIBA World Cup. The reason for his departure has been speculated for over a month, and the decision to attend Kobe’s camp may have something to do with it. The camp might not have been the sole or main reason for Fox’s choice, though it likely contributed.
The Sacramento Kings first preseason game will be held in India on October 4th. Keep an eye out for new synergy and chemistry between the starting backcourt.