Trae Young was completely disrespected when he was left off the USA roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and Gilbert Arenas didn’t hold back talking about that reality.
On an episode of his podcast, Arenas sat down with the Hawks superstar to discuss the construction of the USA’s roster, calling them a “sorry-a– group.”
“You see that list [Steve] Kerr got?” Arenas asked Young. “A sorry-a– group… Listen, I’m happy for the people who make it. It’s cool. It’s cool for some of the guys who got there that I don’t know. Some of them probably don’t even start on their team.”
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Arenas isn’t wrong. There have only been four players to make an All-Star appearance — Brandon Ingram, Anthony Edwards, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Tyrese Haliburton — on the roster and none have made an All-NBA team.
This is no disrespect to those selected, but not one point guard on the USA roster deserves it more than Trae Young. Last year, in what was considered a down year for him, he averaged 26.2 points and 10.2 assists per game on .429/.335/.886 shooting splits.
In his first season with the Knicks, Jalen Brunson averaged 24.0 points and 6.2 assists per game on .491/.416/.829 splits. New York has gone bananas for Brunson, and it was a successful year for them. However, though he was more efficient than Young, he wasn’t nearly as impactful as a playmaker.
Haliburton made his first All-Star appearance for Indiana, but the Pacers’ point guard still isn’t at the level of Trae Young. He averaged 20.7 points and 10.4 assists per game on .490/.400/.871 shooting splits.
Trae Young’s worst year since his rookie campaign is still arguably better than Haliburton and Brunson’s best seasons.
For some reason, the NBA community outside of Atlanta hates Young. It’s a shame that Team USA is worse off in spite of him, but I don’t know if I would even want him playing with this team.
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