Caitlin Clark's Olympics snub is defended by veteran Diana Taurasi, who says USA squad has a 'firm grasp of what they need' in Paris

Caitlin Clark's exclusion from Team USA's Olympic squad has been defended by veteran Diana Taurasi, who said USA Basketball 'has a firm grasp of what they need as a team.'

Taurasi, 42, is set to compete in her sixth Olympics while the WNBA rookie Clark was surprisingly left off of the 12-woman roster.

And while the decision to leave Clark at home has sparked a massive uproar, Taurasi is confident that USA Basketball constructed the optimal roster for Paris.

'The Olympic team really is just a collection of best players,' she told Yahoo Sports when asked about the decision to leave Clark off the roster. 'But at the end of the day, USA basketball always has a firm grasp of what they need as a team.

'I think people kind of lose track of no matter what, you have to make sure that 12 players fit to form the best team, not necessarily the best players. Whatever the 12 are, I think USA basketball has always done a great job of putting that collection of talent together.'

Taurasi added that 'there's always going to be controversy' trying to cut an 'amazing pool of players' to just 12 people.

While Clark lit up the college ranks at Iowa and won National Player of the Year honors in two consecutive seasons, she has (understandably) found things a bit tougher at the pro level.

In 13 WNBA games thus far with the Indiana Fever, she's averaging 16.3 points, 6.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds, but is shooting just 37.3 percent from the field with 5.4 turnovers per night. 

Taurasi, though, thinks Clark will settle in just fine.

'The game of basketball is all about evolving. It's all about getting comfortable with your surroundings,' she said in a separate interview with USA Today.

'College basketball is much different than the WNBA than it is overseas. Each one almost is like a different dance you have to learn. And once you learn the steps and the rhythm and you have a skill set that is superior to everyone else, everything else will fall into place.'

Clark had a classy response to being left off the USA team when she was asked about it on Sunday.

'I'm excited for the girls that are on the team,' she told reporters.

'I know it's the most competitive team in the world and I know it could've gone either way, me being on the team or me not being on the team.

'I'm excited for them, gonna be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics, it'll be fun to watch them.'

There is actually a slight chance that Clark could go to Paris after all.

According to The Athletic, she and Brionna Jones are considered the top alternates if a player needs to be replaced due to injury. '