Following his most recent assignment with Team USA, Kevin Durant has gained a lot of attention from both supporters and detractors. In addition to being the best player in the basketball Olympics, Durant “carried” Stephen Curry to back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, according to former NBA guard Rashad McCants.
Since he is arguably the best player on [Team USA], [Kevin Durant] would win MVP if he truly wanted to make a statement. McCants stated, “He’s seven feet tall, has shooting prowess comparable to Steph Curry, and he helped Curry win two titles. “So he can live through Steph’s success, too like ‘Yeah he’s me man’ but he knows what it is.”
Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are frequently compared since they are two of the best scorers of all time, and this summer was no different as they teamed up as colleagues for Team USA. Though many would agree that Durant deserves greater credit for his role, it’s certainly a stretch to suggest that he “carried” anyone throughout his championship runs.
Although Durant will tell you that the Warriors’ back-to-back championships were the result of a team effort, things could have gone very differently if he hadn’t been there to provide them an advantage. After the Warriors finished 73-9 throughout the regular season, LeBron James and the Cavaliers had already won the championship in 2016.
With Durant’s arrival, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were no longer able to win titles, and the Warriors regained the upper hand. Like his performance in this year’s Olympics, Durant’s contributions to that team remain incredibly undervalued to this day.
After averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.3 steals over six tournament games, LeBron took home the Olympic MVP award for basketball this year. For Team USA, he led both on and off the court and never hesitated to stand up and perform when things got tough. Durant, who has already won three gold medals, trailed closely in terms of personal achievement.
This year, Durant averaged 13.8 points, which was less than LeBron and Curry.
as the third-leading scorer for the club. Durant started for Team USA against France after a brief appearance as the Sixth Man off the bench. He finished with 15 points on 5-12 shooting. After the Olympics in Paris, Durant will return his attention to the NBA and his quest for a championship with Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. Durant hasn’t been able to duplicate his Warriors and Stephen Curry success with the Suns thus far. Durant had his greatest stretch to date with No. 30. Durant averaged 26.0 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game in 168 games played with Curry. After winning the title, Durant advanced to the Finals three times in a row and won back-to-back MVP awards in the process.
