Kevin Durant put the 2024 Team USA up there with some of the most fun teams he had ever been a part of.
Kevin Durant opened up on being a part of the 2024 Team USA Avengers and bringing home a Gold medal from the Paris Olympics. When asked if this was the most fun team he had ever been a part of, he said he couldn’t compare this experience to his past ones because he traveled the world and had ‘so much fun.’
“I had some great teams. I can’t compare, but this was so much fun for a month. Traveling the world, man, going to places I’ve never been. Abu Dhabi, Dubai, talking life, it was incredible.”
Durant averaged 13.8 points at the Olympics, finishing as Team USA’s third-highest scorer behind Stephen Curry and LeBron James. The trio were expected to be the off-court leaders of the squad but they ended up leading on the court as well as the three featured offensive options.
The Suns forward didn’t play during the exhibition games in Abu Dhabi or London due to a calf injury but was practicing with the squad. This led to Durant playing the first five games of the tournament as the team’s sixth man before being promoted to the starting lineup for the Gold medal game against France.
Durant hit a game-sealing dagger mid-range with 40 seconds to go which put the USA up by six and virtually sealed the tie. His contributions were crucial, as he became the national team’s all-time leading scorer and most decorated men’s player with four Olympic Gold medals.
“Is this the most fun team you’ve ever been part of?”
Kevin Durant: “I had some great teams. I can’t compare, but this was so much fun for a month. Traveling the world, man, going to places I’ve never been.”
(via @overtime / TT)pic.twitter.com/lkv0soJ4Pg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 13, 2024
Kevin Durant Is Heading Into His 18th NBA Season
Kevin Durant has reached a stage in his career few all-time greats have been able to make it to. He’s still playing at the highest level of the game while being 18 years in, replicating the longevity we’re seeing from LeBron James right now, who’s heading into his 22nd season.
Durant averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists last season, earning an All-NBA selection despite the Suns finishing as the No. 6 seed and being swept in the first round of the Playoffs. It was a disappointing end to a contentious season in Phoenix which led to head coach Frank Vogel being fired and replaced by Mike Budenholzer.
The Suns have made strong offseason moves to reinforce their roster, finally bringing a high-level point guard to the team to fill the Chris Paul-shaped hole that held the team back last season. Tyus Jones should be the team’s floor-general while Devin Booker and Durant focus on being elite scorers and competent defenders.
Booker showed during the Olympics that he can be an impactful defender with a reduced scoring load, so that’s a strategy Coach Bud might have to use to accentuate the one-way scoring talents of Bradley Beal while letting Booker be a two-way player who needs to score 24 points instead of 28-30 to win games.
Durant showed his versatility for the Suns last season, even playing big minutes as the team’s center to make deadly small-ball lineups. Alongside shooters like Grayson Allen, the Suns have a chance at making a deep run in the West this season.