New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was arguably one of the biggest snubs for Team USA during the Paris Olympics, considering he is coming off the best NBA season of his career in 2023-24.
“Yeah, for sure. The way I played last year, I thought I was deserving. I thought I could have fit in. I’ve played many roles throughout my career; I could play another,” Brunson said in an interview with Sam Schube of GQ. “But obviously, it just wasn’t in the cards at that time. And so, you move on and you find ways to get better. You keep having goals, and that’s a goal of mine. I want to play next time.”
It’s hard to blame Jalen Brunson since he averaged a career-high 28.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists on 48/40/85 shooting splits in 77 regular season games and led the New York Knicks to a deep playoff run last season. He also made it to the NBA All-Star Team and All-NBA Second Team for the first time, and he previously played for the Stars and Stripes during last year’s FIBA World Cup.
While a broken hand might have played a role in Brunson not being selected for Team USA, he said the national team was already chosen before he was injured, so he didn’t get a chance.
New-look New York Knicks are unbeaten this preseason
The New York Knicks are off to a great start this preseason, beating the Charlotte Hornets 111-109 and Washington Wizards 117-94.
Credit: Getty Images
Many fans from the Big Apple particularly enjoyed the victory against the Washington Wizards since it was a blowout. More importantly, Karl-Anthony Towns went off in his New York Knicks home debut, notching 25 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks while shooting 10-for-11 from the free-throw line.
