Knicks' Jalen Brunson 'High on the List' For Team USA Olympic Roster
Jalen Brunson could be studying abroad this summer.
After the New York Knicks point guard conquered San Francisco on Monday night, Golden State Warriors/United States Men's National Basketball Team head coach Steve Kerr seems to think the world ... namely the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris ... might be next.
"There’s a reason he’s on our (roster) list: because he’s a great, great player and high character, a leader,” Kerr said after the Knicks faced Golden State at Chase Center, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “He’s everything you want as a player. He’s high on our list and he’s definitely somebody we’re considering.”
USA TODAY SPORTS
Kerr has big decisions to make as he's assembling the American roster for the upcoming Paris Games, his first at the helm of the national team. A pool of 41 players was released in January, one featuring both Brunson and collegiate/professional teammate Josh Hart. Kerr and his assistants (Mark Few, Tyronn Lue, Erik Spoelstra) will narrow the field down to a dozen before taking off for Paris, where group play begins on July 28.
Though Brunson was one of the headliners of last summer's disappointing run at the FIBA Basketball World Cup (where Team USA failed to medal for the second consecutive occasion), he has made an undeniable national name for himself this season, one that featured his first invite to the NBA All-Star Game. Brunson also left a lasting impression on Kerr, who labeled Brunson a "natural leader" in the lead-up to the tournament.
"He's a point guard, he immediately comes to mind," Kerr said in August, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. "He's the one who's leading the '1, 2, 3 USA' chant. Some guys just, it just comes naturally to them."
The Brunson breakout has continued on an active New York road trip: part three of four saw the point guard score 34 points in a 119-112 win over the Warriors, the Knicks' fourth in a row. Brunson joined elite metropolitan company by scoring at least 40 points in each of his prior two games, becoming just the fourth New Yorker to do so on consecutive occasions.
Despite the underwhelming World Cup finish, Brunson enjoyed time working under Kerr and enjoyed repping the country's hardwood prospects.
“The experience was great, especially under Steve, understanding his philosophy and getting to know him,” Brunson said, per Bondy. “We built a great relationship (and I) got to understand how his mind works.”
If Brunson does make the American group, it could set up a metropolitan civil war: Team USA will partake in Group A action in Paris, a quartet that will also feature Serbia, home of new Knicks teammate Bojan Bogdanovic (as well as two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic).
