Kevin Durant will be available for Team USA against Serbia on Sunday, per USA Basketball. Durant didn’t play in any exhibition games leading up to the Paris Olympics, due to a calf injury, so the opener will be the first time he’s played with this group.
The day before the game, Steve Kerr told reporters that he was “confident” that all 12 players on the roster would be available, despite the fact that Joel Embiid missed practice on Saturday and Anthony Davis missed previous practices.
Of course, “available” and “ready to defend Nikola Jokic” are not necessarily the same things. If there is any team in this field equipped to punish an ailing American frontline, it is Serbia and its three-time NBA MVP. While Team USA blew Serbia out in an exhibition matchup, Serbia has played Team USA competitively in previous tournaments and won silver in the 2016 Olympics.
The major question for Durant will be how many minutes he is capable of playing as he deals with the injury that kept him out the exhibitions. Durant was widely expected to start for Team USA in the buildup to the Olympics, and if he is at 100% as the tournament progresses he may still. For now, though, it is unclear if he will have any sort of minutes limit. Team USA has committed to LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Embiid as starters, but the other two spots varied on an exhibition-by-exhibition basis. Steve Kerr has not yet announced a starting lineup against Serbia.
Durant is Team USA’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic play, and he scored 30 points when he led Team USA to gold over Serbia in the 2016 Olympics.
Team USA’s game against Serbia will tip off at 11:15 a.m. ET. Here’s how to watch.
