Workforce USA ahead Kevin Durant, left, shoots as assistant coach Erik Spoelstra defends throughout males’s basketball apply on the 2024 Summer time Olympics, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (AP Picture/Mark J. Terrill)
PARIS — There may be hope that Kevin Durant performs for the U.S. in its Olympic opener towards Serbia on Sunday, which implies the lads’s nationwide workforce could have 12 gamers accessible for the primary time this summer time.
That’s, except one thing else occurs.
The Individuals open their path towards what they hope is a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal after they tackle three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and World Cup finalist Serbia within the opener for each groups on the Paris Video games. Durant missed all 5 exhibition video games the Workforce USA performed coming into Paris due to a calf pressure, and coach Steve Kerr stopped wanting definitively saying Saturday that he’s within the lineup for the opener.
SCHEDULE: Workforce USA basketball at Paris Olympics 2024
“Hopefully,” Kerr stated.
Durant was on the ground for apply, whereas presumed beginning middle Joel Embiid was not due to sickness. Kerr stated he didn’t anticipate Embiid to overlook Sunday’s sport.
“I’m assured we’ll have all people prepared tomorrow,” Kerr stated.
There have been indicators in current days that USA Basketball expects Durant — a three-time gold medalist, now bidding to develop into the primary participant who can say he’s a four-time Olympic males’s basketball champion — will likely be able to go. First, it didn’t change him on the roster. Second, it launched clips of a Thursday scrimmage the place Durant was energetic and even had a reverse dunk (plus bought dunked on by Anthony Edwards, who idolizes him). And third, Kerr insisted earlier within the week that he wasn’t involved about Durant’s standing.
“We’ll see how issues go in apply at present,” Kerr stated Saturday. “Up to now, so good. He got here by the scrimmage two days in the past fairly nicely.”
READ: Kevin Durant ‘feeling good’ forward of Workforce USA’s Paris Olympics bid
The workforce convened for its first apply of the summer time in Las Vegas on July 6, a couple of week and a half after Durant strained the calf. He couldn’t participate in practices there, didn’t play within the first exhibition win over Canada earlier than the Individuals left for his or her abroad legs of the pre-Olympic tour after which the ready sport was on.
Durant did some on-court work in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, however missed two extra exhibitions there towards Serbia and Australia. He did extra work in London however missed the 2 exhibitions the U.S. performed there towards South Sudan and Germany as nicely.
He stated he made the very best of the state of affairs.
“It’s been unimaginable,” Durant stated. “I imply, I haven’t performed but, however simply being on the sideline, on the bench, I’ve bought extra power than I’ve had prior to now. I hate not enjoying, however simply watching these guys, how they function, it’s simply been unimaginable.”
In Olympic play, Durant has been unimaginable as nicely.
READ: Steph Curry leads Workforce USA previous Serbia in Paris Olympics warmup
Earlier than Durant got here alongside, Adrian Dantley had the best scoring common for a U.S. males’s participant in an Olympic match; he averaged 19.3 factors on the 1976 Montreal Video games. That’s now fourth on the single-Olympics U.S. listing behind Durant’s 20.7 factors per sport on the Tokyo Video games three years in the past, Durant’s 19.5 factors per sport on the 2012 London Video games and Durant’s 19.4 factors per sport on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Video games.
He has scored 435 factors in Olympic play, essentially the most in U.S. males’s historical past, 99 greater than Carmelo Anthony. He’s third in rebounds for the U.S. males with 118, seven behind Anthony and 6 behind David Robinson. He’s the all-time U.S. males’s chief in Olympic 3-pointers made with 74 and the all-time chief in free throws made with 69.
“Immediate impression. Immediate impression,” U.S. ahead LeBron James stated, when requested about what Durant would add to the combination when he returns. “He seemed extraordinarily nicely the opposite day in apply. Clearly, his wind, his rhythm goes to proceed to return, however to have the ability to get him again, it makes a big impact for our membership.”
And if all that wasn’t sufficient, there’s this: The U.S. is 21-1 in Olympic video games with Durant within the lineup, and he’s received a pair of NBA championships with Kerr throughout their three seasons along with the Golden State Warriors.
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“I understand how laborious he works as a result of I’ve seen it up shut and private for 3 years, and I do know the extent that he’s making an attempt to get to competitively to be his finest self and why he’s the all-time main scorer in (U.S.) Olympic historical past,” Warriors guard and first-time Olympian Stephen Curry stated. “So, you thrive off of that, that preparation to present you confidence that claims ‘Hey, we’re right here for enterprise, however we’re additionally right here to proceed to be taught from one another.’”
Observe Inquirer Sports activities’ particular protection of the Paris Olympics 2024.