Kevin Durant is expected to return to Team USA practice on Friday ahead of their upcoming exhibition game on Saturday against South Sudan, per The Athletic. Durant has yet to practice with the team, as he’s been dealing with a calf strain, which has kept him sidelined for the entirety of these tune-up games before the Olympics start on July 28. Durant could make his debut in one of the upcoming exhibition games against South Sudan on Saturday or Germany on Monday.
Getting Durant back before the Olympics start is a huge boost for Team USA, even if his availability doesn’t significantly impact the team’s chances from winning gold in Paris. But having him certainly helps. Durant is is the all-time leading scorer in the Olympics for Team USA with 435 points. He has three gold medals to his name, and is looking to add a fourth. We’ve also seen this team struggle in stretches during their exhibition games, and having another playmaker like Durant would make life easier for the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry. His size on defense would also be a major help if, and when, the United States takes on France.
While Durant has missed a couple weeks, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr never signaled that there would be a possibility that Durant would be replaced on the roster.
“It’s not something we’ve even discussed at this point because we feel good that [Durant] is going to be OK,” Kerr said over the weekend.
That’s a change from the way Team USA handled Kawhi Leonard, who was replaced with Derrick White, despite Clippers president Lawrence Frank saying Leonard looked fine during practices. Leonard withdrew from the roster at the decision of USA Basketball, saying “We just felt that we had to pivot.”
With Durant returning soon, attention now shifts toward the starting lineup for Team USA. They’ve run with a couple different lineups in their exhibition games, but James, Curry and Joel Embiid have become mainstays in the starting unit. With Durant nearing a return, it’s safe to assume that he’ll take one of the starting spots, leaving the fifth spot open for Kerr to fill. He’s started Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum up to this point, and any number of them would be a good option. With the amount of scoring that exists from the four starters, Holiday could be the smart choice to pair in the backcourt with Curry for some added defense. Edwards could similarly fill that spot. Booker provides offense, but isn’t as strong a defender as Holiday and Edwards, and Tatum would give you added size.
That fifth starter spot could also change based on the situation, but with a team as talented as the United States, there’s not really a wrong answer.
