The USA Men’s Basketball team defended its gold medal at the Olympics on Sunday. The star of the show for Team USA was Kevin Durant. The 7 foot sharpshooting small forward was at his lethal best when it mattered for the red, white and blue. KD was the best player in the tournament and it was an environment that really made him comfortable.
In an interview with Michael Lee of Yahoo’s The Vertical, KD talked about his experience with Team USA:
It was therapy for me after making a big change in my life.
KD shocked the basketball world by choosing to join the Golden State Warriors back in July. There has been backlash and questioning of KD’s competitive spirit. But the time spent with his Olympic teammates have softened the blow and given us a preview of what we can expect in Golden State this season. Durant continued:
It made my life easier … I knew [a backlash] was coming. It was definitely different for me, but to come here in an environment where people accepted me and didn’t care about anything except being my buddy, that’s what I needed.
KD has always been a player that enjoys being part of a larger team dynamic. While his stature and immense talent causes him to stand, out he prefers to blend in. KD’s game operates and flows best in an open, ball sharing environment. Even on Team USA where there wasn’t that much shooting he enjoyed a ton of open looks. Imagine what it will look like when he’s on the Warriors? A comfortable KD means trouble for opponents. It will be fun to watch.