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Well, here's a surprise. There's a member of the Washington Wizards on the 28-person list of candidates for Team USA's roster for the next three years, and it's not John Wall. In fact, it's Bradley Beal, according to the official list obtained by ESPN.
The guards that made the pool besides Beal: Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Deron Williams, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward and Kyle Korver. The final three, along with Beal, are obviously there as shooting specialists, but that's still a lot of players in Wall's peer group that made it over him.
To be clear: This means that we won't be seeing John Wall suiting up for Team USA for the next three years, and it'll be an uphill climb to get back into the mix beyond that. Wall's game isn't especially well suited for international ball because of his lack of shooting, so there was always a chance this could happen. But it's still pretty stunning that Wall couldn't even make a preliminary list of candidates. (Worth noting: DeMarcus Cousins, his Kentucky teammate, did make the cut).
As for Beal, I still would be surprised if he actually plays in this year's World Championships, and I'd be even more stunned if he went to the Olympics. There are too many great players in front of him. But still, it's a nice honor to be considered.
I have a sense, though, that Wall's omission will overshadow all that.
