Spending his college years at the basketball powerhouse that is Duke under the legendary coach that is Mike Krzyzewski, Mason Plumlee was certainly not unexposed to national television and media pressure while an undergrad. He also won an NCAA Championship with the Blue Devils in 2010, so he is used to success on a grand stage.
So when he had a breakout senior season, averaging 17.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest, and slipped out of the lottery in the weak 2013 draft, falling to the Nets at pick 22, it had to be slightly disappointing. How could Plumlee, who showed the entire country his worth all throughout his college career, fall behind lesser-proven players such as Shabazz Muhammad and Tony Snell to name a few?
Well, no one really knows that answer for sure, but what we do know is that Mason–with a great rookie season that earned him a spot on the exclusive NBA All-Rookie First Team along with three lottery picks and one other non-lottery selection–silenced many of his critics. Certainly, many of the teams that passed on him in the draft started to question their own selections.
And now, with his recent selection onto the FIBA World Cup Team USA squad, Plumlee’s name and image is only being magnified both around the NBA and even the world basketball circuit as well. There has been some controversy over Mason making the team, especially considering that Team USA coach is his college coach (Coach K is everywhere, really) and that Damian Lillard and other good players didn’t make the cut over Plumdog Millionaire.
Knocking that aside, Mason deserved to make this team, fair and square. The US needs hard-nosed, interior “bangers” (for lack of a better word) to be physical with the big men on other teams, such as Spain and the Gasol brothers. That’s why it makes sense for him to make the team over Lillard.
Furthermore, regardless of how the US does in the World Cup–even though odds are it’ll do pretty well–the entire experience will be a learning one for Mason in addition to increasing his general profile. Those people who–after his graduated from Duke–thought he wasn’t good enough to be a high first round pick in a poor draft class won’t have the same doubts they did in 2013. Good for Mason.
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