USA Basketball has chosen Suns’ forward and rookie steals leader Mikal Bridges as one of thirteen players to join the USA Select team this summer. He’s not the first.
The Phoenix Suns have had multiple players honored with a selection to the USA Basketball Select team in the past, including Devin Booker in 2017, Miles Plumlee in 2014, and Robin Lopez in 2008.
The trendiness of playing for the USA National Basketball team is more volatile than cryptocurrency. One cycle will produce every big name talent the NBA has to offer only to see the next team comprised of third tier players who happen to be bored for the summer.
This seems to be one of those years where it’s en vogue not to play.
Superstars like Anthony Davis, James Harden, Kevin Love, and Damian Lillard withdrew their names from consideration, all with flavors of the same excuse surrounding concentrating on the upcoming regular season.
Bradley Beal, DeMar DeRozen, Tobias Harris, CJ McCollum, and Eric Gordon were the next lot of highly paid cagers to bow out of suiting up for the stars and stripes.
Even Zion Williamson who, despite what ESPN tells you, is just a fat guy without gravity, has deemed himself too cool to play for his country.
The crème de la crème like LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard never signed up in the first place.
That leaves Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Lowry, Kemba Walker, and Julius Randle (yes, they’re reaching here) as the biggest names on the main USA roster.
With the next man up mentality, younger up-and-coming players will get the opportunity to soak up the USA Basketball environment.
That includes the USA Select team.
Bridges will join Jarrett Allen, Marvin Bagley III, Jalen Brunson, John Collins, Pat Connaughton, De’Aaron Fox (who should have gotten consideration for the primary roster), Joe Harris, Jonathan Isaac, Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Derrick White, and Trae Young.
The Select team will scrimmage the first team August 5-8 in Las Vegas to help prepare the primary team for the FIBA Word Cup in September.
While the World Cup is the Holy Grail for
football
soccer, it plays a significant second fiddle to the Olympics when it comes to basketball.
That could explain the deceased interest this off-season as the top guys may be looking forward to next summer’s Olympic games in Tokyo. It could also be they don’t get paid and playing presents an unnecessary risk with memories of Paul George’s gruesome leg injury still a little too recent for comfort.
The only catch is that winning the World Cup grants automatic qualification for the Olympics so if this collection of role players trips up and loses, Team USA will have to go through all the Olympic qualifiers to earn their spot the old-fashioned way.
Maybe that matters. It probably doesn’t. But regardless, Mikal Bridges will get the opportunity to immerse himself in a winning culture and play competitive basketball this summer in preparation for what could be a breakout season for him in purple and orange.
If nothing else, it’s a free week in Vegas for a 22-year-old. I’d take it.