ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Team USA has relocated halfway across the world but is still in a holding pattern with star Kevin Durant, who missed practice again Saturday with a calf strain and likely won’t play when the Americans face Australia in a friendly set for Monday.
Coach Steve Kerr has been publicly downplaying any concern about the injury but pushed back his timeline before leading the team through practice.
“I know there’s still a couple of weeks before we have to make a decision roster wise,” Kerr said. “So we’re just taking it day by day.”
For weeks, Team USA had a contingency plan in place if Kawhi Leonard wasn’t able to play in the coming Olympics as he recovered from a knee injury, lining up Derrick White as the probable replacement in early June. They made that move Wednesday, releasing Leonard and putting White on the roster as they broke training camp in Las Vegas.
If the team has a backup plan for Durant in the event he isn’t able to play, they’re keeping it under wraps.
“It’s not something we’ve even discussed at this point because we feel good that (Durant’s) going to be OK,” Kerr said.
Durant said earlier this week he was hopeful to have recovered enough from the calf injury he suffered two weeks ago to play during the warmup games in the Middle East. It also includes a game Wednesday against Serbia, the team the U.S. will open Olympic play against in France later this month.
White was scheduled to fly to Abu Dhabi on Saturday and is expected to practice for the first time on Sunday.
Before practice Saturday, Team USA was addressed and welcomed by their host in the U.A.E., Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of global soccer power Manchester City and an avid NBA fan. Al Mubarak is the managing director and CEO of Mubadala, the emirate’s $300 billion sovereign wealth fund that is involved in an expansive multi-year deal with the NBA and USA Basketball that is bringing high-profile games to the region.
A huge Los Angeles Lakers fan who watches many of their games, he begrudgingly congratulated rival Boston Celtics players Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday on their NBA championship.