Team USA is going through a bit of a transition era, and even though it will still feature some impressive NBA talents, they won’t go all-in with bona fide superstars for the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
Jalen Brunson, Brandon Ingram, Tyrese Haliburton, Walker Kessler, Paolo Banchero, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Anthony Edwards, Cam Johnson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges will team up to represent their nation in the upcoming tournament.
That’s an impressive pool of young talent, so it’s only normal to see that they’ll get to practice against some other top-notch youngsters looking to make a name for themselves and work on their games.
With that in mind, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Detroit Pistons young star Cade Cunningham will join a USA Select team to practice against Team USA.
ESPN Sources: Pistons G Cade Cunningham — fully recovered from season-ending shin surgery in December— will practice and scrimmage for a USA Select team against the Senior Team USA roster bound for the FIBA World Cup. Cunningham was offered a spot on the World Cup roster, but…
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 20, 2023
Woj adds that Cunningham was actually offered a roster spot for Team USA, but he declined the invitation to continue working on getting back to full strength after suffering a season-ending shin injury last season.
Cunningham was the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft just two seasons ago, and he’s already showcased his stat-filling skills.
The Pistons looked like a legit play-in team when he was on the court, but their season was pretty much doomed as soon as he got hurt.
The third year is usually crucial for young players, and there are high expectations for the Oklahoma State product going forward, especially now that the Pistons made a big investment to hire Monty Williams to lead their project for years to come.
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