Who Were the Biggest Team USA Roster Snubs?
Following Kawhi Leonard's departure from Team USA due to injury concerns, a roster spot opened for a new wing player on the Olympic team. Team USA very quickly offered Derrick White the role which he accepted. White will now be the third Celtics on the team, joining his fellow teammates Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum. Derrick White is certainly a dynamic player on both sides of the floor and will be a great addition to Team USA. However, some players would’ve made more sense to get the call before White. Let’s look at who got snubbed by Team USA not just once, but twice after another slot opened up.
Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown has now had to watch three of his teammates go to the Team USA roster while he remains without a call. Jaylen Brown is coming off a season where he won Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP on the Celtics while showing the league that he certainly is a top player in the league. Not only is Brown a top-12 player in the NBA, he is certainly a top-two player on his own team. However, Team USA evidently prefers to not have him on the team. This will certainly bring up lots of speculation as to why he didn’t get selected in favor of multiple of his teammates. Brown said a few months ago that it would be an absolute honor to play for his country, but for whatever reason the National team is opting not to extend an offer to the debatably best player on the Celtics who averaged 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game this past season. It will be interesting to see if this selection causes some animosity in Boston once the team gets back together heading into next season.
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving is a magician with the ball in his hands and can offer dynamic playmaking to any roster. He has tons of prior experience in the Olympics and with other players on the roster. Irving, similar to Curry, LeBron, and Durant, are Team USA royalty, and all of them are in the back half of their careers, but Irving was the only one of those left off the roster. There is a rumor floating around which might suggest why both Jaylen Brown and Kyrie Irving have been left off the roster. Both players have been critical of Nike in previous years and Nike is a major sponsor of Team USA. So, is Nike gatekeeping Brown and Irving from the Olympic roster? This rumor does deserve some speculation and consideration. Although Team USA denies this rumor, it is curious that two stars who were left off the roster both have the same criticism of a major sponsor of the team.
Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey is a great option to fit this role as he could play alongside other dynamic fast-paced guards like Anthony Edwards. With this Olympic team divided up into rising young stars and aging well-known veterans it would be a great idea for the U.S. roster to show off what Maxey can do. After a stellar campaign this past season averaging 26 points, four rebounds, and six assists per game, he would make a great compliment to the dynamic nature of the roster. Additionally, his chemistry and experience with Joel Embiid would make a great duo pairing that could benefit this team.
Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson was debatably the best player in the entire NBA Playoffs this year with the Knicks. This postseason he averaged 32 points, three rebounds, and eight assists per game. He is an incredibly dynamic guard who is able to get his teammates involved and still get incredibly effective shots, especially from the mid-range. There should be no debate that Jalen Brunson is a better player than Tyrese Haliburton at every level of the game. Derrick White is a better defender than Brunson, which may be the reason he got the call over him, but Brunson definitely should’ve gotten a call over Haliburton.
