Kevin Durant‘s status for Team USA’s first Olympic game will be a group decision, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. A strained right calf prevented Durant from playing in any of the team’s exhibition contests, but he was able to practice on Wednesday, and his agent, Rich Kleiman, told Windhorst that Durant felt good enough to play in the last two games in London.
“It’s not just our training staff, but [USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill] is constantly in touch with Kevin’s people and with the Suns,” coach Steve Kerr said regarding the decision on whether Durant will be available Sunday against Serbia. “This is not going to be like us going out and saying, ‘Hey, let’s just throw him out there.’ This will be a big collaboration.”
After Monday’s victory over Germany, Kerr said Durant was “day-to-day” and needed to go through two straight practices and a scrimmage before being cleared to play. A full-contact practice planned for Thursday should indicate the progress for Durant, who suffered the calf injury roughly a month ago.
“The plan is for him to get in the scrimmage and see how he handles that,” Kerr said. “He looked good today and he did everything and got a lot of shots up and told me he’s feeling pretty good.”
There’s more on Team USA:
- Kerr was unhappy with the slowness of Monday’s game, marking the closest he has come all summer to criticizing his team, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Instead of pushing the ball to maximize their advantages in speed and athleticism, the Americans frequently settled for setting up in their halfcourt offense. They also allowed Germany to hit 13 three-pointers and dominate the offensive boards. “I hated our pace the other day against Germany — we were just walking the ball up the floor,” Kerr said. “The tape was tough to watch.”
- Jim Boylen was experiencing a difficult time both personally and professionally when he got an offer from USA Basketball in 2021, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. In addition to being fired as head coach of the Bulls, Boylen went through a divorce and dealt with the death of his brother. He was asked to coach the U.S. in qualifying games for the FIBA World Cup, which was the first step toward reaching the Olympics. “The competitive part of it was exactly what I needed at that point in my life,” Boylen said.
- Danny Chau of The Ringer examines Canada’s growth into a basketball power that may be poised to win its first basketball Olympic medal since 1936.
Jordan, 35, will be committing to a third season with the Nuggets after signing as a free agent in 2022, just in time for the team’s championship run. His on-court presence has diminished from his peak years, but he’s still a strong locker room presence who can provide rim protection and a lob threat when needed.
Huff, who went undrafted out of Virginia in 2021, has bounced back and forth between the NBA and G League over the past three years, appearing in 31 regular season NBA games during that time, including 20 while on a two-way contract with the Nuggets last season.