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With the Tokyo Olympics set to begin on July 23, several men’s teams are expected to participate in training camp in Las Vegas prior to departing for the games in Japan.
MGM Resorts on Thursday announced that it will host exhibition games for five Olympic countries: Argentina, Australia, Nigeria, Spain and the United States. The tune-up games will take place July 10-18 as each country will play 4-5 contests apiece.
The single-site mini-camp in Las Vegas is expected to attract numerous NBA teams. The games will give scouts and executives an opportunity to get a closer look at several high-profile players, including projected first-round pick Josh Giddey.
Giddey, who was born in Sydney, was among the 24 finalists selected to play with Australia. He played last season in the National Basketball League and is expected to be heavily scouted during Australia’s exhibition games, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report.
NBA decision-makers expected to be in Vegas to scout Josh Giddey with the Boomers in two weeks during exhibitions vs. USA, Spain, Nigeria, Argentina. Unlikely Giddey is in US for NBA combine or predraft workouts.
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) June 11, 2021
Giddey averaged 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 28 games with the Adelaide 36ers. He led all players in the NBL in assists, while he finished sixth in rebounding. He became the youngest Australian player in the NBL to register a triple-double on April 25.
The 6-foot-8 guard has drawn comparisons to fellow Australian Ben Simmons with his ability to lead his teams and flashy passes. While he is still a bit smaller than Simmons at this stage of his career, he is touted as a better shooter than Simmons was at the same age.
Giddey is most commonly projected to be a mid-first-round pick but could improve his stock even more with a strong showing in Australia’s mini-camp and the Olympics if he is chosen for their final 12-man roster.
Australia begins exhibition play on July 10 vs. Argentina.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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