John Wall was just at the Team USA mini-camp in Las Vegas. He is a top-five point guard in the NBA. He has developed into the point guard the Wizards hoped they would get when they selected him No. 1 in 2010.
But don’t expect to see him on the USA Basketball roster for the Rio Olympics next summer.
That’s not just my opinion — it’s what Wall himself told Ben Standig of CSNWashington.com.“I’ll be out of the picture,” said Wall through a laugh and without any noticeable trace of resentment....
“I’m just being honest,” Wall continued. “Chris Paul has already won one (Olympic gold medal). Steph Curry had an amazing last year and just won the World Cup. Kyrie just won the World Cup. Russell will probably be on the team. They’ll use him as a two-guard. So, I probably won’t make it.”
It’s simply a numbers game.
The USA usually takes four or five guards, three of them point guards (James Harden and Klay Thompson likely are at the two guard spots, in my opinion). Stephen Curry is a lock. If Chris Paul wants to go, he is a lock. And then it comes down to the athletic freak and former Olympian that is Russell Westbrook (I think he makes the team), but if not him then it’s Kyrie Irving, who played for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke and played well for Team USA last summer at the World Cup. Wall said he thinks Irving makes it.
If everyone’s healthy, Wall just misses the cut. Team USA needs three point guards and he’s fifth. Point guard is a ridiculously deep position for Team USA, which is a nice luxury to have, but some very good players just miss the cut.