Before the Paris Olympics, Kevin Durant had only played off the bench three times in his career. But when he arrives at the 2024 Olympics, where Durant is one of the highest scorers in the history of the US team, he will play off the bench three times.
The Phoenix Suns player missed all five of the US team’s pre-Olympic friendlies due to injuries (calf and hamstring), then played all three group stage matches as a substitute.
But no matter where he came from, Kevin Durant still left an extremely strong impression with 23 points (8-9 FG) in the opening match against Serbia. In the following two matches, he played well, always scoring over 10 points per match.
With things looking up, head coach Steve Kerr said he would continue to bench Durant rather than starting him as some pundits had suggested.
The US captain added that he would consider starting Kevin if he was in top form. But due to injury and having missed five friendlies, Durant will continue to be a reserve and play with the second team.
“Our original plan when we gathered the team was to start Kevin. But considering Kevin’s physical condition, plus the fact that he couldn’t train and participate in friendly matches, we decided to go with the current lineup,” the US head coach shared.
“And when we put KD in the second unit, all of a sudden he fits in really well. The group of Durant, Derrick White, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis is extremely balanced in both offense and defense, which makes us want to keep Durant on the bench even more.”
As for Kevin Durant, he himself has no need to start. Sharing with EPSN, the MVP of the Tokyo Olympic men’s 5×5 basketball event said that he is willing to do everything to win.
“I personally told the coach that I have no demands on them, just give them your requests and I will be ready to meet everything ,” Kevin Durant told reporters.
“This is basketball and I don’t think it’s important who starts. It’s mainly who’s on the court to finish the game and if you’re on the bench, what do you do when you get the chance to come on.
Personally, I am always ready to do the tasks given by the coaching staff and ready to compete with any lineup. The most important thing is the team’s victory.
Steve Kerr added that while Kevin Durant remains on the bench, the star scorer’s minutes will increase in the playoffs. Durant currently ranks second in average minutes played per game (19.2 minutes), behind only LeBron James (21.8 minutes).
In the quarterfinals, the USA will face Brazil at 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 7. If they win, they will face the winner of the match between Australia and Serbia.
See also: Are Kevin Durant and LeBron James the top scorers in Olympic basketball history?
