For his first minutes with the Team USA jersey this summer, Kevin Durant had a huge impact on his team's Olympic debut against Serbia. Fresh off his calf injury, the Suns winger gave the Serbians a run for their money, coming off the bench.
Kevin Durant may not have been 100% cardio-wise, but he was incredibly adept at getting his team back on track.
“I felt good on the pitch. We showed that we could compete with them, especially in the first half,” Serbian full-back Ognjen Dobric believes. “Durant's incredible performance was the turning point, and the final score does not reflect the effort we put in.”
Kevin Durant thus had a perfect half off the bench. At the break, “KD” had already scored 21 points in just 9 minutes of play, with an impressive 8/8 shooting, including 5 3-pointers!
Every mistake punished
“They punished every mistake,” adds Ognjen Dobric. “Their quality allows them to quickly transform any opportunity into points”.
This observation is also shared by his teammate Vanja Marinkovic. Team USA maximized the 13 balls lost by the Serbians. Whether by playing quickly forward like LeBron James or with first-intention shots.
“We played well in the first half, but Kevin Durant made the difference, as well as our turnovers.”he says. “When he finds his rhythm, it's really tough. We played hard, but those lost possessions hurt us.”
As Steve Kerr has been predicting for several weeks, Kevin Durant has already returned to the level he was known for in the FIBA context, and the United States' future opponents have reason to be worried…
