Trae Young on not being Team USA finalist: ‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt’

USA Basketball named 44 finalists for its 2020 Olympic roster.

The most glaring omission: Hawks point guard Trae Young, who’s already an All-Star and, at age 21, expected to get even better.

Young, via Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt by seeing it. ... Obviously I would have wanted to play on the team,” Young said.

Good news for Young: He can still make the 2020 Olympic roster. That list is unbinding. USA Basketball has shown a willingness to add deserving players.

Bad news for Young: Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Russell Westbrook, Kemba Walker, Mike Conley, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White. The Americans are absolutely loaded at point guard.

Young’s exclusion shows what the USA Basketball brass thinks of him now. That’s a lot of ground to make up in a few months. But it is possible. Getting slighted like this might even motivate Young to address his biggest shortcomings, defense and attitude.