Philadelphia 76ers: Dakota Mathias is a perfect representative for America

Oh Dakota Mathias, the first casualty of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 2020-21 campaign, you are gone but will not soon be forgotten.
While some initially questioned Daryl Morey‘s decision to sign you after a successful stint with the Texas Legends of the G-League, you silenced those doubters with a few clutch shots, eight made 3s, and a game-clincher versus Miami that Tobias Harris commemorated with a very fun tweet.
Sure, your stat line may have left a bit to be desired – averaging six points in 15.4 minutes of action while knocking down 30.8 percent from beyond the arc – but hey, you got to play in the NBA – a thought nearly unimaginable when you were chucking up buckets for the Purdue Boilermakers from 2014-18.
But hey, when one door closes, another opens, right?
From the Philadelphia 76ers to representing Team USA in the AmericaCup.
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As crazy as it may be, considering the current state of our world, we are mere months away from the 2020 Summer Olympics 2: Electric Boogaloo.
While some openly question whether bringing together the best athletes from around the world to live in a make-shift village for a few weeks is really the best decision at this point, Japan’s prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, is still determined to have the event happen, and thus nations the world over need to get ready to field teams in a variety of different sports.
While some events, like skateboarding, are new, surprising, and potentially must-see, others, like basketball, are tried and true and thus need to be loaded up with as much talent as possible to secure wins.
But before we can openly opine about whether star players like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Tobias Harris will represent the good old US of A at the most internationally relevant tournament of the year, Team USA first has to field a competent team at the AmericaCup which opens up with a qualifying tournament in San Juan from February 19-20th (as per Sixerwire).
Hm… interesting. A basketball tournament in the middle of the NBA season. How will that work?
Well, by fielding a team of players not currently in the league like Joe Johnson, Isaiah Thomas, and yes, Dakota Mathias.
Shooting guard Dakota Mathias -- who had some good moments in his time with the 76ers this season -- will join Isaiah Thomas and Joe Johnson on the Team USA roster for the AmericaCup qualifying tournament Feb. 19-20 in San Juan, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2021
Now, for Mathias, this is a pretty amazing opportunity. While it’s very unlikely he’ll remain a member of the team when the actual Olympics roll around, the 25-year-old gets to add Team USA participant to his increasingly impressive resume, all the while learning for a few multiple-time All-Stars in the process.
Could this be his route back to the NBA? Eh, maybe so, but it’ll surely help the 6-foot-4 guard generate some goodwill as he looks to re-join the G-League ranks in the fall of 2021 and maybe even secure another two-way deal in Philadelphia or elsewhere.
Next. Matisse Thybulle is making defense fun again. dark
So, in a weird way, being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers wasn’t the worst possible thing to happen to Dakota Mathias. He got a chance to live out his NBA dream – albeit in a limited capacity – had some fun moments, and now gets to represent his country in an international tournament. Talk about a fun pitstop on a still expanding NBA journey.