Team USA may have gone undefeated in its exhibition contests leading up to the Paris Olympics, but that doesn't mean all is well for the tournament's favorites. The Americans are one day away from debuting against Serbia, and according to head coach Steve Kerr, there is a bit of an illness making its way through the locker room. Joel Embiid missed practice on Saturday, and Anthony Davis missed practice in previous days as well.
Fortunately for Team USA, Kerr is "confident" that all 12 players on his roster are available on Sunday. Of course, "available" and "ready to defend Nikola Jokic" are not necessarily the same things. If there is any team in this field equipped to punish an ailing American frontline, it is Serbia and its three-time NBA MVP. While Team USA blew Serbia out in their exhibition matchup, Serbia has played Team USA competitively in previous tournaments and won silver in the 2016 Olympics.
The good news for Team USA, though, is that it looks like the cavalry is coming. Kevin Durant hasn't yet participated in a Team USA game, but if Kerr is correct and everyone is available, he will suit up for the tournament opener. Durant is Team USA's all-time leading scorer in Olympic play, and he scored 30 points when he led Team USA to gold over Serbia in the 2016 Olympics.
The major question for Durant will be how many minutes he is capable of playing as he deals with the calf injury that kept him out the exhibitions. Durant was widely expected to start for Team USA in the buildup to the Olympics, and if he is at 100% as the tournament progresses he may still. For now, though, it is unclear if he will have any sort of minutes limit. Team USA has committed to LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid as starters, but the other two spots varied on an exhibition-by-exhibition basis. Steve Kerr has not yet announced a starting lineup against Serbia.
