Follow our Olympics coverage in the run up to the Paris Games.
LONDON — Team USA's Olympic exhibition season is over and Kevin Durant didn't play at all, but he won't be returning home like Kawhi Leonard.
He's heading to Paris with the hopes of helping the U.S. team win a fifth consecutive gold medal.
“We're not looking at replacing Kevin,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr acknowledged after his team beat Germany 92-88 on Monday without Durant.
Durant missed five USA scrimmages and most of the team's practices after suffering a Grade 1 strain in his left calf during a workout before the start of training camp, requested an MRI after arriving in Las Vegas and wasn't able to return to practice until the team gathered for its first workout in London on Friday.
U.S. coaching and executives are viewing Durant's status as “day-to-day” and questioning whether he will be able to play in Sunday's Olympic opener against Serbia.
“I spoke to him today and he said he's feeling better,” Kerr said Monday night. “My hope is that he can continue to have a few practices and scrimmages and come through them and be able to play for us, but it's just day-to-day.”
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During camp, USA officials felt Leonard wasn't moving quickly enough in practices and scrimmages (where he was healthy enough to participate) and removed him from the team, despite his desire to play. Leonard was replaced by Derrick White, who has become Kerr's go-to defensive player with Durant out, at least for now. White outscored Tyrese Haliburton in the rotation during the second half of a close win over South Sudan and for the entirety of the game against Germany.
The U.S. has until Friday to make any changes. If Durant isn't removed by then and his calf injury isn't fully recovered enough to play, they'll have just 11 players available for the Olympics. But at this point in the summer, most NBA players who weren't selected for the Olympic team are on vacation. The time to replace Durant with someone like White who could contribute immediately was much earlier in the preseason.
Durant wasn't healthy enough to play yet, and he hadn't had time to bond with Kerr's starters and reserves. When the team left Las Vegas for Abu Dhabi, the hope was that Durant would practice in the Middle East and maybe even play. When that didn't happen, Team USA was hopeful that Durant would take the court against Germany or South Sudan, but that didn't happen either.
The U.S. has decided to bet on Durant. Even if he isn't ready for Sunday's game, he should be ready by the time the U.S. advances to the Olympic finals. Durant, the team's all-time leading scorer, averaging more than 29 points per game in the finals, would prefer to use him in those games rather than using someone else who is likely to get playing time next week.
They strongly believe he is worth the gamble.
“Kevin Durant,” Jrue Holiday said. “What are you talking about? We need him.”
Kerr has developed a rotation in Durant's absence, with Devin Booker and Holiday starting on the wings with Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards coming off the bench at those positions. Still, USA officials worry about the challenge of maintaining the continuity established by the other 11 players and utilizing Durant, who remains one of the NBA's best players.
LeBron James is Team USA's leading scorer, averaging 14.6 points per game. Edwards has been effective in a hybrid role, averaging 13 points per game. Stephen Curry is in his usual form, averaging 12.4 points per game, a team-high 14 three-pointers, and shooting 38% from three-point range. Both Booker and Tatum are statistically performing at a role-player level (Booker is averaging 7.2 points in 20 minutes, while Tatum is contributing 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds for the US). Incorporating Durant into the rotation is of course the plan when they're ready, but Booker and Tatum will likely see reduced playing time and one of them could be taken out of Kerr's rotation.
Kerr didn't flinch when asked if he had any concerns about chemistry or rhythm with Durant missing the entire preseason, saying he previously managed Durant's infamous calf injury while working with him alongside the Golden State Warriors and expects similar results.
Why wait until Kevin Durant gets healthy? “Kevin Durant,” said U.S. teammate Jrue Holiday. “What are you talking about? We need him.” (Christopher Pike / Getty Images)
“When he was out, he came right back and was himself,” Kerr said. “He's one of the greats of all time, so we're hoping he'll be back soon and I think he'll gel with the team right away.”
Durant was running up and down the court in warmups before the game against Germany. His cardio, landing, cutting and jumping are improving every day. But this will be his first time on the court in uniform since April, when the Phoenix Suns were eliminated from the playoffs. That means it's hard to predict how close Durant will be to his best when his name is called.
That version, the best version, is a strong defender who can score well, throw smart passes, spread the floor wide and add a shot-blocker to the starting lineup, but anything less would be good for the U.S. His mere presence would put pressure on the defense and maybe create more space for James, Curry and Joel Embiid (averaging 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds).
That's not to say Booker or Tatum are bad players — they're two of the best players in the NBA — but having to choose between James, Curry, Durant and Embiid to guard, and the pressure of having to make that choice feels like it will give the Americans their best chance at a gold medal.
If that happens, it will be another Olympic title for Durant and his fourth championship — the first time a men's basketball player has ever won four Olympic gold medals.
Another reason to keep him around for a while.
Going deeper
On Team USA, Kevin Durant is a mentor to Anthony Edwards, just like Kobe was before him.
(Top photo of Kevin Durant by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
