Dallas Mavericks: Jalen Brunson fails to impress in Team USA scrimmage

Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson saw plenty of minutes in USA Basketball’s Blue vs. White scrimmage, but he failed to impress. Read the latest here.

Dallas Mavericks supporters know that Jalen Brunson is the lone Mav representing USA Basketball this summer. Team USA is prepping for the FIBA World Cup in China next month.

They had their first exhibition game on Friday evening. It was a Blue vs. White scrimmage. In years past, Team USA has divided up the rosters evenly for this event. This time, they opted to play the Senior squad (Blue) vs. the Select Team (White).

That was welcomed news for Jalen Brunson. USA Basketball has been ravaged by injuries in the backcourt this summer. It meant Brunson was one of two capable lead ball-handlers on the Select or White team. Fans can read more about Team USA’s injuries here.

Brunson fails to impress

Jalen Brunson was the starter for the White team in the Aug. 9 scrimmage. He opened the game with the first bucket, and there was hope that Brunson would seize his increased opportunity. Ultimately, he had a solid yet unspectacular performance.

The Blue dominated the game in route to a 97-78 victory. Brunson played 23.5 minutes which was the second most of any player. He finished with eight points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three turnovers on three of 11 shooting from the field. Brunson hit just one of his five 3-point attempts as well.

Brunson played a solid game. He finished a White team-high negative three in the plus/minus category. Brunson made plenty of winning basketball plays, but he could not get his shot to fall.

USA Basketball heads to California on Tuesday as they prepare for another exhibition game next week. They face Spain on Friday, Aug. 16 before departing for Australia. Coach Gregg Popovich and his staff will be taking 17 players to California and Brunson did not make the cut.

Jalen Brunson is still got tremendous experience playing for USA Basketball. It should only help him heading into his second NBA season. The Dallas Mavericks are excited about the 22-year-old’s prospects.

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