New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson had little else to say about his non-inclusion in the Team USA roster for the Paris Olympics this summer.
“I was just focused on playoffs, I didn’t even look at the list,” Brunson told reporters, per SNY, following Tuesday’s practice.
Brunson’s mind is preoccupied with their upcoming first-round meeting against the winner of the Miami Heat–Philadelphia 76ers play-in matchup.
On Monday, April 15, multiple outlets reported that Team USA had already selected 11 players, leaving one roster spot open.
Superstars Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis lead the squad along with Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Bam Adebayo.
Brunson’s rival point guard in the East, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, and Anthony Edwards were the only two holdovers from Team USA that failed to land a medal in the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, Philippines.
This marks the second time Haliburton has edged Brunson. The Pacers star point guard won over Brunson as an NBA All-Star starter in February.
Brunson is among the select players under consideration for the final Team USA roster spot led by Kawhi Leonard, who is the favorite, according to The Athletic. Paul George, Paolo Banchero and Mikal Bridges are the other players on the shortlist.
The snub comes on the heels of Brunson’s career season, averaging career-highs 28.7 points and 6.8 assists across 73 games while leading the Knicks to the second-best record in the East.
Brunson is currently the second-highest-rated American player in Hoophype’s global ranking behind Davis. He is sitting sixth overall behind the top five players in the World (ranked in order): Serbia’s Nikola Jokic, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Slovenia’s Luka Doncic and Davis.
Jalen Brunson Open to Extension This Summer
Knicks insider Ian Begley of SNY suggests that Brunson is open to extending with the Knicks this summer, which will go a long way to their team-building in terms of future cap space.
“What I’ve heard is that [Jalen Brunson] doesn’t really care about being a headline, money-making player as a free agent,” Begley said on his podcast, “The Putback.”
“He’s not caught up in that stuff. He likes it here, he really wants to see this organization keep going in this direction and have success with him here. They’re open to it, but there are other factors at play beyond the money that will come into it.”
Brunson will be eligible for a four-year, $156.5 million extension this offseason. But waiting for another season could fetch him more money in a potential max deal worth over $270 million.
Knicks Pleasantly Surprised With Jalen Brunson’s Rise to Stardom
The Knicks did not see this coming.
They thought they were getting a building block, not a foundational star.
Some even labeled the four-year, $104 million deal Brunson signed with the Knicks during the 2022 free agency as an overpay.
But it turned out to be the greatest free agency coup in recent years as the former second-round pick continues to shock his critics and even his supporters with his stellar play.
“Even the Knicks didn’t really know,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on “NBA Today” on April 13. “And they know him better than anybody. His dad’s on the staff. His former agent, Leon Rose, is their president. They didn’t expect this. They knew they were getting a potential All-Star point guard. They’re getting a player now, who can be the best player on a legitimate contender.”
Comments
Knicks Star Jalen Brunson Drops 1-Liner Reaction to Team USA Snub