The clock is ticking for Kevin Durant to finish his rehab as Team USA prepares to face Serbia on Sunday. However, the two-time NBA champion doesn't want his Olympics campaign to be written off yet.
Durant was upset with NBA insider Brian Windhorst for theorizing that he would miss Sunday's game, via ESPN.
“He practiced today, and it was a non-contact practice day, they didn't scrimmage. It was just a regular practice, shooting and going over preparations for Serbia,” Windhorst explained. “The plan is for him to scrimmage tomorrow, back in Paris where the team is going to go. And then they're gonna re-evaluate things when they get through that scrimmage. Now, Malika, Kevin was not happy with me when he saw the TV report that I made a couple of days ago, that I wasn't sure that he was going to be able to reach all the steps in order to play against Serbia on Sunday. That's because he is working very very hard to get back from this calf injury.”
Durant is the most decorated Olympian on the star-studded squad, boasting three gold medals, a FIBA World Championship title, and an Olympics MVP award. It's easy to see why the national team mainstay would take exception to a premature injury diagnosis, as he clearly takes the competition just as seriously as his domestic pursuits.
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While Durant's calf ailment is hardly a major one, it's the type of setback that can nag at a player until it's fully healed.
“Playing for the national team is extremely important to him, he's playing in his fourth Olympics. But the truth is is that Steve Kerr has delayed his window,” Windhorst continued. “Initially they said that he was hopefully gonna be able to play in one of the two games in London. Not only did he not play in London, Steve Kerr then spelled out that he wanted him to go through several practices and a scrimmage before considering playing him ahead of Serbia, so they've slowed him down.”
Considering Team USA's shaky performance in the exhibition games, one might think that Kerr would consider replacing Durant for a fully healthy player. However, the Golden State Warriors coach denied any chance of that happening, via Bleacher Report.
“Kevin is anxious to play, he wants to play, doesn't think it's gonna be an issue,” Windhorst concluded. “So, we'll see how the next few days go, so I'm gonna take a step back and not upset Kevin anymore, and not take off the table on Sunday against Serbia, but he does have to get through a couple of more days.”
If Durant does play Sunday, Kerr will most likely be cautious with his minutes, as there are plenty of other talented players on the team to rely on.
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