Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill sat down with the Timberwolves’ young star at USA Basketball men’s national team camp in Las Vegas to discuss his role on this year’s Olympic team.
Video Transcript
Now on this team, you’re one of the young guys.
Actually, Tyrese told us yesterday, if anybody gonna be doing rookie duties, it would be you.
And I was like, I don’t think an is gonna be doing, I won’t be doing nothing like that, but just, just from the standpoint of being on this historic team, like this could be the dream team, you know, 20 years from now.
What does that mean to you that you’re here and that you can make an even bigger name for yourself.
It means a lot.
Um you know, playing alongside uh Steph uh Burn and KD.
Um all we, all our, all the rest of us gotta do is just find a way to fit in, you know, defend, you know, do all the right things to stay on the court and I think we’ll win.
Now, some of these practices, I don’t know if you know the history, but some of these practices, whether it was like the dream team or the redeemed team or whatever it was, those practices kinda showed who the alpha was, who was like the number one guy, the number one guy, do you see that as an opportunity to kind of stake a claim for yourself even on a bigger stage than the playoffs because you’re practicing with these dudes every day and you’re around these dudes every day.
Uh, yeah, for sure.
Um, 100%.
But I think in the game too, like, you know what I mean?
I think I’d rather do it against, against the, the, the world than to do it versus my teammates.
But yeah, that’s definitely a staple.
You’ll try to do that, you know, set a tone.
Um but I mean, I would rather do it versus those guys, the USA right now, like I said, you’re one of the young guys, a lot of the standards are older and they’re starting to age out.
So there’s an opportunity for someone to take the mantle to be like the best American player and there’s other players who had that opportunity but haven’t seized it.
Do you see that as an opportunity?
Do you want that?
Does that mean anything to you?
Um I’m not, yeah, I’m, that’s not something that I’m shooting for.
I’m just trying to win with Minnesota.
I don’t really care about all the other stuff.
Uh but it’d be cool.
I mean, you know, to get an opportunity like that, but it’s not something that like I’m str like cats be striving for it.
I’m not really striving for it.
I’m, I’m chilling.
If it happens, it happens, it happens.
They gonna take me for who I am but I just wanna win with Minnesota.