Another former Duke Basketball standout is making his own path in a professional basketball career as now Amile Jefferson will be playing for Team USA in the Men’s World Cup.
After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, Amile Jefferson didn’t let that bump in the road stop him from pursuing a career in professional basketball.
The former Duke captain signed a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, and thrived in his first year in the league.
Jefferson started 46 of 47 games for the Iowa Wolves and averaged 17.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, shooting at a 62.5% clip from the floor.
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Jefferson signed an NBA contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves with they clinched a playoff berth but did not play in a game in the Timberwolves one and only playoff series.
Amile Jefferson will now join Team USA as they attempt to qualify for the 2018 Men’s World Cup.
Future Duke Basketball player, R.J. Barrett, is competing with his home country of Canada for the same tournament.
Team USA is mostly comprised of NBA G-League players and led by Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Jefferson previously competed with Team USA in November 2017 and went 2-0 in the qualifying games that he played in.
The Americans play against Mexico on Thursday, June 28 and against Cuba on Sunday, July 1.
Team USA is a virtual lock to qualify for the Men’s World Cup, sitting at 4-0 in Group C with Mexico and Puerto Rico behind them at 2-2, if the American defeat Mexico on Thursday they will qualify.
Amile Jefferson should play a major role on this team after his sensational season in the NBA G-League and he will have the ability to showcase his skills to every team around the NBA, trying to show them that he is a good enough to be an NBA player and can help contribute immediately.