Key USA Basketball decision maker deflects question on snubbing Knicks star Jalen Brunson

When Team USA Basketball announced 12 of the players who would make the roster, and New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson not being on the list got the attention of many. Team USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill was asked about the decision to leave Jalen Brunson off the team as of now, with one spot still undecided, and he declined going into the reasoning.

“I wanted to acknowledge that. I think it’s important for me to really honor and celebrate the 12 that are on the team and not get caught up in why this person or that person,” Grant Hill said, via Ian Begley of SNY. “I will say this, just in general. There were some really difficult decisions that were to be made. You have players who are incredible, players who have helped us in years past. Helped us win gold medals. You have players who are having current seasons that are just off the charts. The job was putting together a team, and a team that we felt and ultimately, I felt, the pieces fit. this is not an indictment on anyone else. there were some great great players and we’re so grateful that they were interested and they were willing to be a part of this. You wish you could’ve had three or four more (spots) because there are so many incredibly talented players and incredibly talented people. That was tough. It was tough having to say no to certain people who I respect and admire. Certainly he was one of them. And there’s plenty of others who sadly and unfortunately we had to say no to. But with that said, we’re really excited about our group. And excited about the pieces, the style, the skill-set, the personalities, and we look forward to the challenge ahead.”

In less words, Hill basically said that he did not want to go into why Jalen Brunson was left off of the Team USA Basketball roster because he did not want to distract form the honor for the other 12 players being selected. Hill did talk a bit on Brunson’s season with the Knicks.

“The season he’s having is just magical, it’s impressive,” Hill said, via Begley. “He almost has played himself into that MVP conversation if you will. He’s been a great member of our program  not just last year on the Men’s National team but with the grassroots and the Under-17s and so on and so forth”

When the roster came out, Brunson’s absence obviously caused some debate. The common explanation for Brunson being left off is that the roster has plenty of scoring with players like Jayson Tatum, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and others, and someone like Tyrese Haliburton is a better fit for the team as a distributor, rather than adding another ball-dominant player like Brunson. Essentially, the argument is that there is already enough scoring on the roster, and for team building, the tough choice was made to leave Brunson off. That might be fair, as Team USA is trying to win, not form an all-star roster.

When asked about not making the roster, Brunson said he is just focusing on the playoffs that are approaching with the Knicks.

Could Jalen Brunson’s snub be good long-term for the Knicks?

If Brunson is not given the 12th spot on the roster, this might be good for the long-term for the Knicks. Brunson played last summer with Team USA Basketball, so he did not get a break. This season, he carried the load due to injuries to Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, and he will continue to do so on what might be a long playoff run.

A summer of rest for Brunson and just focusing on being ready for the 2024-2025 season, which could be a championship contention year with the Knicks, could be for the best.