Team USA was widely expected to win gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics , and while it was close at times, they managed to run the gauntlet and go undefeated on their way to winning another medal for their country at the Games.
The Team USA squad was loaded, with Kevin Durant as one of their leaders on the court. While their team didn’t have the continuity other countries had, Durant explained what allowed the Americans to be great throughout the Games.
Kevin Durant highlights Team USA’s strengths
Durant is familiar with playing for Team USA in the Olympics, as he’s won gold medals with them in each of the past four Summer Games. Along the way, he has become one of the greatest players at the national level for his country.
Even with a loaded squad, Team USA knew they were going to have their work cut out for them in Paris. As Durant explained, though, their squad had a lot of things working for them that eventually helped them win gold once again in the men’s basketball event.
“Teams have been together for the last six-to-seven years,” Kevin Durant said via Basketball Action . “It felt like a lot of these guys have played together in amateur programs up until they’re pros, and that’s not the kind of formula we have here in the United States. But we got athleticism, length, size, IQ, and you put that all on the floor with great coaching, then I think the chemistry can build pretty fast.”
Kevin Durant at the center of Team USA’s Olympic success
Being consistently great in the NBA is one thing, but being consistently great at the national level is another thing. The game of basketball is completely different, and it often takes players time to adapt to the new style of play.
That’s never been a problem for Durant, who is now Team USA’s most accomplished Olympic medalist and their all-time leading scorer. His ability to score at all three levels of the floor and continually nail jumpers has helped him succeed on the floor for his country.
Other countries have continuity and team chemistry that the Americans lack, but the amount of star power at their disposal simply makes them too much to handle. Even though they gutted out close wins over Serbia and France, it wasn’t a major surprise to see Team USA come out on top.
Having good players helps, but Team USA put in the work behind the scenes to ensure that their collection of talent worked well together on the court. The end result was yet another gold medal for Durant and company at the Olympics.
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