Kevin Durant’s fourth of July bombshell announcement about joining the Golden State Warriors leaves us to wonder and look forward to so many things, and Team USA is one of them.
Durant is set to lead USA Basketball for the Rio Games this summer, and he’ll be playing with two of his new teammates, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. The Olympics now has the anticipation of giving basketball fans a prelude to how Durant will look with two of his new running mates. More likely than not, the three of them will see time together on the floor during the Olympics.
Of course, this will only be a sample size, being that Stephen Curry won’t be participating, but it’s still going to be the leading headline going into Rio. Durant will naturally be at the forefront of attention and conversation for the rest of this offseason. His stint with Team USA will only magnify that attention as we start to observe his chemistry with Thompson and Green (and possibly a few awkward moments for Harrison Barnes).
Team USA’s roster is made up of players with different layers of significant reasons to chase Gold in Rio. Paul George is another key headline as he makes his return to the Olympics after his tragic injury episode in 2014. Kyrie Irving has a chance to carry over his NBA title season and achieve another level of success as Team USA’s lead guard. DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler, and DeAndre Jordan can be part of a winning effort and prove themselves worthy of the Olympic stage. Durant has the opportunity to not only be the leader of Team USA, but now also to begin his transition as the new member of the Golden State Warriors, which has made the dynamics of Team USA that much more interesting.
