Kevin Durant hasn’t participated in any of Team USA’s exhibition games ahead of the Paris Olympics and one NBA insider thinks his stint on the sidelines will continue into the tournament.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst provided an update on Durant’s condition and expressed his doubts about KD participating in Team USA’s first pool match against Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
“I think [Team USA is] gonna be playing Serbia without Kevin Durant… Steve Kerr met with him today and they decided he needs more time with that strained calf. … They believe he will be able to play. But the hopes are dim that he’s gonna be able to do it against Serbia,” Windhorst said on SportsCenter.
Windhorst added, “One thing Steve Kerr made very clear, he will not be replaced on the roster. … They could fly in a replacement [for KD], that’s not gonna happen. Kevin Durant is going to be on this team.”
Kerr did in fact tell reporters there is “no thought” about not bringing Durant to Paris, but the team wants him to go through multiple practices before returning, SI‘s Grant Afseth reports.
A reporter also asked Durant’s NBA rival Jrue Holiday if there’s concern about integrating KD mid-tournament.
To which Holiday replied, “No… That’s Kevin Durant, my boy.”
Team USA will feature the most stacked lineup seen at an Olympic level in a long time, so filling the KD void certainly won’t be an issue for the team.
If USA are to win gold in Paris, Durant will become the all-time leader in Men’s Olympic basketball gold medals after previously winning in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
Unlike 2016 and 2021 where KD was the team’s leader, there are other veteran players like Steph Curry and LeBron James to steer the ship in KD’s absence.
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