VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, FRANCE — If ever there was a play that would make Kevin Durant’s basketball soul smile, and that perfectly encapsulated his unparalleled legacy within the Team USA national program, it was that beautiful thing at the end of the first half of their Olympic pool match against Serbia on Sunday.
Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors coach whose imperfect marriage to Durant a few years ago produced two titles and no shortage of tense moments, put together the set they’d never run before on the half with just three seconds remaining. Steph Curry, his former Warriors running mate whose shadow was so impossible to avoid during their time together from 2016 to 2019, set the baseline screen that unleashed Durant on the right sideline. And LeBron James, the great guy with whom Durant spent so much of his career that it was impossible to compare himself, fired the perfect pass from the right sideline that set up the classic KD moment.
Catch. Spin. Falling jumper with the vintage leg kick. Bucket and a nine-point lead at halftime.
It was just one of his eight shots that landed in a brilliant 23-point performance, one that cost him less than 17 minutes into the Americans’ 110-84 win and featured just one late and irrelevant miss from the field that marred his near-perfect night, but it was the most beautiful and layered of them all. Especially considering the uncertainty that surrounded him when he came in.
It had been nearly three months since Durant had last played in a real game, with a calf injury keeping him out of training camp and five “friendlies” that took a week longer than expected to heal and Kerr deciding to bench him for his debut, and here was the program’s all-time leading scorer and four-time gold medalist (three at the Olympics) reminding everyone that he is the GOAT around these parts. Better yet, those with whom he shares such a complicated history in NBA circles were seemingly overjoyed to support and serve his talents in the name of USAB’s success. And make no mistake: Durant has no peers in this position.
Given how complicated the Durant debate always is, there’s something incredibly refreshing about seeing him in a room where the debate over his place in this program is so simple. He’s USAB’s all-time leading scorer. He’s the one who already has three Olympic gold medals and could become the only American basketball player to win four if Team USA gets the job done here. He’s the one who’s been so loyal — yes, loyal — to this operation by choosing to play in the last four Olympics while winning gold every time he’s appeared (including the 2010 FIBA World Cup).
When it comes to the legacy of USAB, there is no one who can match it. And the best part, the thing that makes you admire the spirit with which this group operates, is that everyone who is a part of it seems to know it. James included.
But this final USAB memory was special in its own right, as Kerr’s decision to pull Durant off the bench could have made Durant feel somehow uncomfortable about returning. Instead, Durant told Kerr before the game that he was there to serve in whatever role was deemed necessary, with Kerr drafting James, Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Joel Embiid. And then, true to his word, he bailed the Americans out of a rocky start against a Nikola Jokić-led Serbian team that was considered a medal contender after winning silver at last year’s FIBA World Cup.
Team USA trailed 19-14 when Durant first came on with 2:33 left in the first quarter, and he waited just 14 seconds before making a 3-pointer. Less than two minutes later, he had another, all part of a 23-10 finish to the quarter after Serbia led 10-2 early. He turned it on in the second quarter, finishing with 21 of his 23 points by the break.
“I’ve (come off the bench) a couple times in the NBA — three times,” Durant said. “That’s enough for me to just lean into those moments. You know, that’s what I was thinking about coming in, just staying mentally ready, staying focused on what the game plan is. And when I come in, don’t make the game about me. Try to add something to the team. And tonight I was able to (do that).”
“I’ve told Coach (Kerr) I’m willing to do whatever and adapt to whatever he needs me to do. So it’s always been fun to try to find new roles and just adapt to what the game tells you to do.”
In case anyone forgot, Kerr recently publicly expressed a lot of disappointment with Team USA’s play.
“It’s time,” he had declared last week.
Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards combined for 34 points in Team USA’s upset win over Serbia on Sunday in their first Olympic match. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
But it all became a lot easier with the willing and capable Durant turning the tide.
Regardless of what comes next, it’s quite something that Kerr left open the possibility of Durant becoming a super Sixth Man for this loaded team going forward. He had multiple chances to shoot down that idea afterward, but chose not to.
“I mean, we’re just taking it one step at a time,” said Kerr, whose team plays a second group match against South Sudan on Wednesday. “He was obviously brilliant tonight. We wanted to limit his playing time and let him settle in. And I let him settle in, (but) he didn’t. He was brilliant.”
When asked again if Durant would continue to serve as a substitute, Kerr denied it.
“I don’t know; I don’t know,” he said. “Yeah, we’ll see.”
But after the Durant performance they had all just witnessed, that question didn’t need to be answered. This seemed like a moment for all of them to marvel at the man whose USAB resume continues to grow.
“He’s so used to being on the podium,” said Curry, who is competing in the Olympics for the first time. “He’s the all-time leading scorer in USAB history for a reason, so it was great to see.”
James, who is competing in his fourth Olympics (two golds and one bronze previously) and his first since London 2012, added: “KD has been phenomenal … When you watch him in training, everything he does in training is game speed, so it’s no surprise that he comes out and gets straight into it. But it’s great to have him on your side. … Ultimately, you’re not surprised. I mean, he’s just an out-of-this-world talent.”
And Kerr, who is making his first Olympic appearance as head coach of Team USA: “(Durant) looked like he was in mid-season shape, but after not playing in a real basketball game for a couple of months — pretty incredible.”
Just like they all drew it.
GO DEEPER
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(Top photo of Kevin Durant: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
