{"id":1379333,"date":"2021-06-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1379333"},"modified":"2021-06-30T09:00:02","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T13:00:02","slug":"usa-basketball-ceo-julius-randle-didnt-make-olympic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/usa-basketball-ceo-julius-randle-didnt-make-olympic\/","title":{"rendered":"USA Basketball CEO Shares Why Julius Randle Didn't Make Olympic Cut"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a breakout season leading the New York Knicks<\/a> back to relevance, Julius Randle was named the NBA\u2019s Most Improved Player and made the All-NBA Second Team. But he won\u2019t be an Olympian. Randle didn\u2019t make a squad that includes nine first-time Olympians after a career year<\/a> (24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game). He also improved his 3-point shooting from 27.7% to 41.1% on greater volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a nearly unprecedented leap for a player in his seventh NBA season<\/a>. The irony is that one of the players who made the USA Basketball roster for Tokyo made the same type of leap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why didn\u2019t Julius Randle make the cut?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did Julius Randle\u2019s decision to withdraw from the USA Basketball camp in 2019 play a role?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Julius
Julius Randle of the New York Knicks reacts against the Atlanta Hawks during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first round. | Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the summer of 2019, Julius Randle signed a three-year, $62.1 million contract with the New York Knicks<\/a>. He bet on himself with a one-year prove-it deal with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018\u201319. It paid off handsomely, as Randle averaged a career-high 21.4 points per game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Randle also received a late invitation to USA Basketball\u2019s training camp for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Team USA had difficulty getting commitments from top-tier players for the non-Olympic event, and Randle was a welcome addition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In men\u2019s football (or soccer as we call it in the U.S.), the FIFA World Cup is the<\/em> tournament in international play. The Olympics are an afterthought, reserved chiefly for under-23 players. In basketball, the exact opposite is true. It\u2019s all about the Olympics. The FIBA Basketball World Cup wasn\u2019t even a thing until 2019. Before that, it was simply the FIBA World Championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Randle arrived at camp but departed early. He cited a \u201cfamily matter,\u201d according to a USA Basketball<\/a> press release. If the selection process for the Tokyo roster was as close as officials say it was, Randle probably did not get the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was it Randle\u2019s lack of international experience that cost him?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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