Kevin Durant Proves to Be Critical Piece of Team USA Puzzle in Olympic Win vs. Serbia

Any doubts about the Suns star's return from injury were quickly quelled after a stellar first half. Plus, LeBron James is back for more hardware while Jayson Tatum surprisingly sits out.

Kevin Durant wasted no time in his return from injury with 23 points. / Markus Gilliar - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images

Takeaways from Team USA's 110–84 win over Serbia in its men's basketball Olympic opener ...

Welcome back, Kevin Durant

Durant’s return to live action for the first time in months went better than anyone expected. Coming off the bench, Durant, whose NBA season ended in April and who missed Team USA’s five exhibition games with a calf injury, scored 23 points in 17 minutes of play. He made eight of his nine shots, five of five three and finished the game at +20. 

“I’ve [come off the bench] three times in the NBA,” Durant said. “That’s enough for me to lean on those times. That’s what I thought about when I was coming in: staying ready, mentally staying focused on the game plan and when I come in there, don’t make the game about myself. Just add to the team."

Even for a player as accomplished as Durant—a three-time gold medalist and the men’s team's all-time leading scorer—this was impressive. There was some skepticism last week about Durant’s readiness for the opener, even questions about whether the U.S. should have replaced him. Durant responded by scoring nearly half of the United States' 47 bench points, collecting 21 on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting in the first half alone. When Serbia backed off, he made threes. When they played up, he got to the midrange. 

When this team was assembled, Durant appeared like a luxury. It’s clear now he remains as important as ever to USA Basketball’s success.  

LeBron James wants this

After spearheading the recruitment of America’s top stars back to the Olympics, James, at nearly 40, showcased that he is still among the best players in it. James was masterful Sunday, finishing with 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Operating as a point forward, James orchestrated the U.S. offense flawlessly (Team USA shot 62.3% from the floor) and was a menace in transition. 

“That was the best game we’ve played so far,” James said. “[Serbia] tested us early and we got our composure. [The atmosphere] was phenomenal. Sitting there listening to our national anthem and listening to the fans cheer, I definitely got nervous and the butterflies came out. Even for me who has played in front of a lot of people, it was a different atmosphere. But we were able to get to it."

There’s no reason for James to want this. He was a member of the Redeem Team, has two gold medals and is arguably the greatest player in NBA history. But with the Lakers falling from the ranks of NBA elite, this could be James’s last chance to win any kind of championship. And he’s playing like he knows it. 

When the U.S. offense hums like this, no one is beating them

You like two-point shots? The U.S. made 67.6% of them. Threes? How about 56.3%. The team scored 23 points in transition, 44 in the paint and assisted on 24 of its 43 made shots. Six Team USA players scored in double figures. 

“The beauty of tonight [was], we played a lot of random basketball on the offensive side and defensively we were talking to one another throughout the whole game,” Durant said. “That communication and random basketball made us tough to stop.”

This wasn’t against a soft touch, either. With Nikola Jokić, Serbia is a medal favorite. But for the second time in as many weeks the U.S. battered Serbia, following up a 26-point exhibition win with another 26-point beating. Jokić was solid (20 points, eight assists) but no one else on Serbia scored more than 14. 

The U.S. still has to address its problems with turnovers; they had 17 against Serbia, which were turned into 25 points. And it will have to manufacture offense when the three-point shot isn’t falling. But Team USA entered these Games with more firepower than any potential rival. Against Serbia, it showed how potent that firepower can be. 

Jayson Tatum (for now) is the odd man out

Durant’s return to the rotation meant someone would be bumped from it. That turned out to be Tatum, who was a DNP-Coach's Decision. Tyrese Haliburton didn’t play either but Haliburton’s benching was expected as he had been out of Steve Kerr’s rotation during the exhibition schedule. Tatum, though, was not, and even on a team this loaded it was jarring to watch one of the NBA’s top scorers not get a single minute. 

“I went with the combinations that made sense,” Kerr said. “That was for tonight. [Tatum] handled it well. He’ll make his mark.” 

Indeed, Tatum will get his chance. There will certainly be games where Tatum’s length will be an asset and he showed during the exhibition slate that game, which is Durant-like, works at this level. But with Kerr unwilling, at least against Serbia, to go beyond a 10-man rotation, it means there will always be an All-Star keeping the warmups on. 

“It’s really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys," Kerr said. "With Kevin coming back, I went to the combinations I felt would make the most sense. It seems crazy [not to play Tatum]. I talked to him and he was incredibly professional. That was tonight. That doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way the rest of the tournament.”

Is Joel Embiid the next Tim Duncan?

In 2004, after a disappointing Olympic run, Duncan retired from international basketball, famously muttering “FIBA sucks.” Embiid may be headed towards a similar experience. He scored four points in a team-low 11 minutes. With Embiid on the floor, the U.S. was a –8. With him off, the U.S. was +34. 

Kerr will continue to push Embiid out there, recognizing the value in a rebound-gobbling big man. But Embiid has looked uncomfortable with his role in the offense—Kerr prefers to utilize Embiid in the low post—and he is prone to sloppy fouls. With the U.S. having excellent frontcourt depth—Anthony Davis had 14 points and eight rebounds against Serbia and looked more comfortable in the exhibition games—it’s likely this won’t be the last game Embiid plays a limited role.