Team USA are set to compete in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup but there are question marks around the chosen roster, especially why Trae Young was a snub.
The Hawks guard could easily be one of the best players on the roster if he was to be chosen to compete, since he has been named as an All-Star twice and had impressive 2022-23 season for Atlanta.
Gilbert Arenas played 11 seasons in the NBA as a guard and on the Gil’s Arenas podcast, Young expressed his desire to represent his country but it sounds as though he didn’t get the chance.
“I would love to play with guys and show off my passing and not have to go out and score a lot and just be there if they need me to,” Young said. “I’d be happy to, obviously, I’d love to play, but I respect the OGs and understand you need to take your turn, but I believe that I should be on there,” Young said.
It may have seemed like a blatant snub but one NBA insider has shed light on why Young wasn’t included in the squad.
His lack of size and hesitance towards getting physical, which was shown during his time with the Select Team in 2019, was discussed by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon as part of the reason he wasn’t brought back.
“I heard Trae Young did not make a great case for himself during his previous time in the Team USA program,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on The Hoop Collective Podcast. “I also heard, at one point, a question was presented to Trae Young, something along the lines of ‘Are you ever going to go over a bleeping screen?’”
The point guard is certainly able to score points, evidenced by his 26.2 points average last season.
However, having a very ball-dominant player in the USA team may not be part of head coach Steve Kerr’s plan.
Arenas has been very critical of the US team selections and went as far as calling them a sorry ass group.
He also said, “…some of them probably don’t even start on their team…It’s embarrassing sometimes; you have star players…and you just automatically say ‘Yeah, he’s not gonna fit our style.’ How the f*ck you know…You didn’t give man a chance…Shouldn’t be so crooked…”
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