Steve Kerr does not plan to start Kevin Durant for rest of Olympics

Steve Kerr does not plan to start Kevin Durant for rest of Olympics

No matter what the end result has looked like, Team USA’s starting lineup has been the hottest topic of conversation for the men’s basketball portion of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Through three group stage games, there have been there iterations of the starting lineup; the only three constants have been Devin Booker, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, who’s participating in his first-ever Olympic games despite being the greatest shooter ever.

Kevin Durant, one of the greatest Team USA basketball players ever, has yet to start in any of the three games after recovering from a calf injury that caused him to miss each of the team’s five exhibition games. He’s been critical to the team’s cohesive, ignitable bench unit. According to head coach Steve Kerr, the 35-year-old superstar isn’t planning on entering the starting lineup anytime soon, either.

“If [Kevin Durant] had been here from Day 1, chances are he would be starting,” Kerr said Sunday. “That was the plan coming in. But given that he missed all of our friendlies and came in late, we had kind of established a lineup that we liked. When we brought him back, he was only going to play a certain amount of minutes against Serbia. And he played so well, and he fits so well with that group, and it was devastating to see that group together.

“There’s no plans on changing that. But, of course, as the games get more difficult my guess is Kevin will be playing more and more minutes. He’ll keep coming off the bench for now, but we will lean on him more and more as we go.”

Team USA’s tantalizing bench unit, led by Durant, has primarily featured Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo and Derrick White, though Jrue Holiday has made amicable contributions intermixed in the fold.

Durant’s averaged 16.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals across 19.2 minutes in three games. He’s shooting 63.7 percent from the floor, 71.4 percent (10-14) from 3-point range and 90.9 percent (10-11) from the free-throw line. In his first game back against Serbia, he totaled 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including a 21-point first half.

We’ll see if a fourth iteration is rolled out against Brazil in their quarterfinal game Tuesday. In the end, what matters most is who’s closing–even though that hasn’t mattered with each win coming by at least 17 points. As Durant hunts for his fourth straight gold medal, expect him to be an integral part–regardless if he starts.

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