On Saturday, the NBA’s official social media handle added some videos of the USABMNT in the lab. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Anthony Edwards, and all of them were in action, but the one who was missing was Kevin Durant.
The Suns forward was ruled out of the Canada game last week due to a calf soreness. With 4 more exhibitions coming up, Durant still remains short of 100% fitness. His franchise’s newly appointed HC, Mike Budenholzer, provided an update about Durant’s injury on Saturday.
“Our medical staff has done a great job of supporting him, USA basketball has been great supporting him. Kevin is a veteran and knows himself well. We feel confident he’s in a good place. Hopefully he’ll be back healthy and ready to play for USA,” Budenholzer discussed.
In Durant’s absence, his franchise teammate, Devin Booker, started against Canada, with Jayson Tatum coming on from the bench. Given the state of the practice, Tatum will most certainly start the game against Australia in the UAE. But Steve Kerr remained unfazed about Durant.
Steve Kerr Talks About Kevin Durant’s Injury
Team USAB was dealt a blow when Kawhi Leonard was withdrawn from the roster. His replacement, Derrick White, could not join the squad for Saturday’s practice. With KD out of contention, the selection pool has narrowed for Kerr.
“He won’t play tomorrow. I’ve not talked to the trainer but if he does anything, it would be light. But yeah, he won’t play,” Kerr said after practice on Sunday. But the good thing is, it won’t be long before Durant joins action again, as per Kerr.
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Durant is also optimistic about his chances. He said, “I was working out probably about 10 days before training camp [when I got hurt]. So, I’m just working through it and taking it day by day.”
With the 2024 Paris Olympics starting on July 28 for the USAB, there’s a significant amount of time for Durant to recover.
