Expect to see more of Kevin Durant as the 2024 Olympics progress, though not as a starter.
“If Kevin had been here from Day 1, chances are he’d be starting,” head coach Steve Kerr explained to reporters on Sunday. “That was the initial plan. But since he missed all our friendlies and joined us late, we established a lineup we liked. When we reintroduced him, he was limited to a certain amount of minutes against Serbia. He performed exceptionally well and fit seamlessly with that group, which was great to see.
“We have no plans to change that. However, as the Games get tougher, I expect Kevin will play more minutes. He’ll keep coming off the bench for now, but we will rely on him increasingly as we move forward.”
Durant had a calf injury before the Paris Olympics, missing all five of Team USA’s exhibition games, which raised questions about his playing time in the Games. Nonetheless, he impressed with 23 points in nearly 17 minutes off the bench in the opener against Serbia, shooting 8-of-9 from the field and 5-of-5 from three-point range in a 110-84 victory.
Kerr made some adjustments to the starting lineup during the three group games, including alternating between Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis, but Durant consistently came off the bench. He scored 14 points against South Sudan and 11 points against Puerto Rico. With LeBron James and Stephen Curry starting, Durant provides remarkable star power to the secondary unit that other countries struggle to match.
Kerr, who coached Durant for three seasons with the Golden State Warriors from 2016-17 through 2018-19, knows how to maximize his potential. During that period, the Warriors reached the NBA Finals three times and won two championships, with Durant earning NBA Finals MVP in both title runs.
As a three-time gold medalist and the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. men’s Olympic team, Durant aims to add a fourth gold medal to his impressive resume and has excelled as a key player off the bench. Expect him to continue in this role in Tuesday’s quarterfinal showdown with Brazil.
