Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard became the latest member of USA Basketball's initial roster to bow out of consideration for the FIBA World Cup. As a result of so many players reneging on their prior commitments, the national team has begun adding additional players to the group who will compete for a roster spot at training camp in Las Vegas during the first week of August.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jared Dudley, seizing a rare opportunity, made a direct appeal on Twitter for USA Basketball to add him to the pool of available players.
After much consideration and countless NBA players dropping out of @usabasketball.. I’ve decided to join this team for my country! 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/I7f4UGhrie
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) July 23, 2019
Dudley is joking, of course. At 34, he's firmly on the downside of his career, and even during his playing prime fell a short of the level of performance required for consideration for the national team. A player cut from a higher caliber of his stylistic cloth, P.J. Tucker, is on the training camp roster, though, and as more and more stars elect against competing, it makes sense that USA Basketball would turn its focus to bringing in role players.
Maybe Dudley has a shot after all? Probably not, but he's poised to play under a bigger spotlight going forward regardless.
The 12-year veteran signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency this summer, and could even play a bigger role than the one he did with the Brooklyn Nets given the Lakers' lack of quality defenders at forward. Jared Dudley averaged 4.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 2018-19, appearing in 59 games. Like last season, expect both his playing time and overall impact to increase under the microscope of the playoffs.
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