Inside The Warriors

Kevin Durant Makes Statement About Steve Kerr Not Starting Him on Team USA

USA Basketball star Kevin Durant has been coming off the bench

Joey Linn

May 6, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (center) and forward Kevin Durant (35) walk off the court after game four of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
May 6, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (center) and forward Kevin Durant (35) walk off the court after game four of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr has needed to make some very difficult decisions through two games at the Paris Olympics. Not playing Jayson Tatum at all in Team USA's Olympic opener against Serbia, Kerr started the Boston Celtics star against South Sudan. It was Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid who was a DNP against South Sudan.

Kerr's rotation decisions became more difficult once Kevin Durant returned from injury, as the Phoenix Suns star was guranteed minutes. That said, Durant has come off the bench for both games he has played this summer, which the two-time Finals MVP says he is okay with.

"It's basketball, it really doesn't matter who starts," Durant said per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "It's about really who finished the game, who put their impact on the game while they're in the game. So I just try to do my best to impact it any way I can."

Windhorst added that Durant said he is fine coming off the bench the entire run if that is what Kerr wants.

Durant played three seasons under Kerr with the Golden State Warriors, winning back-to-back Finals MVP awards in 2017 and 2018. Now back with Kerr in Paris for the Olympics, Durant is willing to do whatever is asked of him, even if that means coming off the bench.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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