LA Clippers: J.J. Redick bitter about not making Team USA
By Tom West
LA Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick was on the “short long list” for Team USA’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics squad, and says that he’s still a little bitter he didn’t make the team.
LA Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick knows it was never going to be a given that he’d make Team USA for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Like the rest of us, he knows that his off-ball movement and deadly catch-and-shoot threat makes him an ideal complimentary role player to the isolation star power of the team, but he knows he always had an outside chance of actually making the squad.
On Bill Simmons’ “Any Given Wednesday” show, Redick said that he was on the “short long list” and that he was around the 40th to 45th guy who could make the team. Redick received an initial call from coach Mike Krzyzewski to see if he had any interest (Redick let him know that was definitely the case), but Krzyzewski called back soon after to say that he wouldn’t be on the team.
When looking back at the situation and discussing the Rio Olympics on his latest podcast for The Vertical (featuring guest Ben Winston, executive producer of “The Late Late Show with James Corden”), Redick said that he’s still bitter about not making the team:
"Had [Coach K] asked me, my wife and I would have probably fought for about 24 hours, but I would have said yes. I absolutely want to be in Rio. And to be honest with you, I’m a little bitter that I’m not there."
When Winston responded by saying that he appreciated Redick’s honesty, as saying “I don’t mind” would have been the easiest reply, he asked whether watching someone like Harrison Barnes ride the bench throughout the Olympics made it more frustrating. Winston said that Redick must look at Barnes and think, “you could take that spot,” and I’m sure most of us agree.
Redick said he knows he could have helped the team, and doing so has been an ambition of his for a long time:
"“It’s not about Harrison Barnes or any other guy. I think I could help the team. I think I could help the team. But, for me, I’m competitive, and I thought this was my best chance.Back in 2008, I wrote down this list of things, and it was a very short list. It was, like, five things I hoped to do in my life. Some of them were out of my control, like one, for example, was have a son… But other things were playing in the Olympics.”"
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Of course, Redick isn’t one of the top 12 players in the NBA or a growing, young talent in need of the experience. But that’s far besides the point.
When Team USA’s offense frequently resorted to isolation plays and a lack of ball movement was a common issue, having a no-ego, non-demanding shooter like Redick to constantly move off the ball and spot up whenever needed is the ideal guard to compliment the team.
Pure shooters, rather than ball dominant stars, were needed, so it’s understandable that Redick feels a little bitter after watching Team USA have those issues and hardly ever use a player like Harrison Barnes.
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For the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Redick will be 36, so this may well have been his final chance to pursue a gold medal and represent the U.S. As for fellow LA Clippers member DeAndre Jordan, he could be just getting started with his Olympic tenure.