Knicks Star Named Ideal 3×3 Olympics Candidate

The New York Knicks aren’t represented at the 2024 Paris Olympics by Team USA, but that could change in a few ways in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

While Jalen Brunson could be a candidate to make Team USA, CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn believes Randle could be a good fit for the 3-on-3 roster.

“He’s not an elite defensive big man, but according to Synergy Sports, he’s ranked in the 72nd percentile or better in terms of post defense in three of the past four seasons, so he should be able to hold up against most opposing bigs (and Jones is available if there happens to be a matchup he can’t handle),” Quinn writes.

“He can get to the rim, score in the post, make jumpers, create looks for others and is at least athletic enough to hold up on the perimeter if he gets a bad switch. This is a jack-of-all-trades pick. Randle does a little bit of everything, and his skill set translates well to the 3-on-3 format. Big men that can outmuscle most opponents for both points and rebounds while also retaining some mobility are pretty rare. With most of the world’s best big men either playing for Team USA’s 5-on-5 team or hailing from another country, this was the best pick on the board.”

Randle, who turns 30 in November, would be 33 by the time the Olympics rolled around again in four years’ time.

3-on-3 basketball began as an event in the Olympics in Tokyo, but Team USA didn’t participate. This year, there are four players (Jimmer Fredette, Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox, Dylan Travis) on the roster, but none of them are in the NBA.

That’s because in order to be part of the team, players have to participate in FIBA-sanctioned 3-on-3 competitions, and no NBA players have done that. If that rule changes or if some NBA players use this as an opportunity to make it to the Olympics, perhaps we could see some league members participate in four years from now, and maybe that will include Randle.

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