Grant Hill clarifies why he picked Derrick White over Jaylen Brown for Team USA: "I always love a good conspiracy theory"

In his recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Grant Hill set the record straight on Jaylen Brown's exclusion from this year's Team USA squad, noting that picking his teammate, Derrick White, was simply a "basketball decision."

"I spoke to his agent. I don't know if that was before or after things went out on Twitter, but yeah, I think this idea that there's a conspiracy theory. I always love a good conspiracy theory, but it was really truly a basketball decision and these are tough decisions. But having gone through this with the FIBA competition, you want to find the right balance and the right pieces on the court that we needed," he said .

Hill thinks he made the right choice

After a magical 2023-24 season, which ended with Brown being the Finals MVP, many, including Carmelo Anthony , still think the Celtics forward should've been awarded a spot on Team USA. However, according to the United States managing director, they made the right choice, as Derrick perfectly fits the team's needs.

"Not to say that he wouldn't have been good. There's a lot of guys you can go on, a list of guys who are very capable, and very, very qualified. But you know, for where we were, it was the right decision. Derrick White, I think, will help us as we pursue gold," he concluded.

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White is a better fit

While Brown is more than qualified to play for this year's Olympic team, Hill and the rest of the Team USA leadership didn't make a mistake choosing White to fill the final slot of the country's 12-man pool.

The U.S. squad has great depth at the wing position, headlined by LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum. As a result, Brown would've been a potential redundancy, someone whose playing demands wouldn't have been met, which potentially would've been an issue.

That said, White is another perimeter defender who can help lessen the load for Jrue Holiday. He is also a serviceable ball handler. More importantly, Derrick is a role player in Boston, so he won't have an issue not seeing many minutes for Team USA, which is why he is also a more logical choice.

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