Kevin Durant will not be starting for Team USA in the knockouts of the Paris Olympics, as head coach Steve Kerr has explained his decision as one to maintain the continuity the team has built since their early exhibition games. Durant was out with a calf injury, playing his first game in Lille for Team USA’s Olympic opener against Serbia.
“We’ve found a good groove. If Kevin had been here from day one, chances are he would be starting. That was the plan coming in, but given that he missed all of our friendlies and came in late, we kind of established a lineup that we liked.”
“When we brought him back, he was only going to play a certain amount of minutes against Serbia, and he played and fit so well with that group. It was devastating to see that group together. There are no plans to change that.”
“But of course, as the games get more difficult, Kevin will be playing more minutes. Keep coming off the bench for now but we’ll lean on it more and more as we go.”
Durant has averaged 16.0 points in 19.2 minutes per game in the 2024 Olympics, shooting 63.6% from the field and 71.4% from three.
KD started his campaign off with a red-hot shooting performance against Serbia where he ended the game with 24 points in 17 minutes. He scored 21 of those points in a perfect first half, completely blowing Serbia out of any chance of a comeback.
Team USA’s rotations have been a major topic of debate this summer given the strength of the team means most players won’t be starters and some might even get 0 playing time. While players like Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo have struggled to be definite starters, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Haliburton have received DNPs on the squad.
The only definite trend emerging through the first three games of the Olympics is that the USA will start games with Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, and LeBron James.
Kevin Durant Is The Greatest Olympic Basketball Player Ever According To Coach K
Former Team USA head coach and legendary NCAA coach Mike Krzyzewski recently hailed Durant as the greatest player in the history of basketball at the Olympics.
“I think he is because of longevity and accomplishment. It’s unique, but the amount of points he’s scored, he’s scored a lot more than anyone else. When he scored in Istanbul in 2010, he averaged 33 points a game in the medal round. Obviously, in London, he was a part of a huge team that we had with LeBron and Kobe. In 2016, Rio, he was by far the best scorer and really led us to the gold medal.”
Durant is the all-time leading scorer for Team USA at the Olympics with 483 points over his career, playing at every Olympics since London 2012. He’s won the last three gold medals in Olympic basketball, and he is hoping to win his fourth one in Paris.
Even though he’s coming off the bench for this run, there’s no questioning Durant’s importance to the Team USA program and his status as the greatest Olympian in basketball history, especially Team USA.
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