Kevin Durant still isnt ready to run with Team USA.
Durant will miss the Americans scrimmage with Canada on Wednesday due to a calf strain, head coach Steve Kerr said on Tuesday. Durant has yet to participate in any scrimmages or full-contact parts of practices with the group due to the injury.
“He’s already doing plenty of things on the side, not with the team yet, but strengthening, treatment,” Kerr said, via USA Basketball’s Mike Hall. “He said he’s feeling pretty good, so we’ll just keep taking it day by day. It won’t be long before he’s out on the court with us, and we’ll give you updates as we get them.”
Kevin Durant will not suit up for tomorrows exhibition vs. Canada, per Steve Kerr#USABMNT pic.twitter.com/VbbK6Fvyt2
Mike Hall (@mike_pat_hall) July 9, 2024
Durant entered training camp on Saturday with the calf strain, though its not known what happened, and the team opted to hold him out of most things out of an abundance of caution. The injury is considered minor, and Durant revealed Tuesday that he hurt himself about 10 days before camp started.
I think he tweaked it a few days before he got here, Kerr said on Sunday. Its not bad. Hes assuring me that its not bad. Were just going to be really careful and smart and take it day by day and go from there.
Durant is Team USAs all-time leading scorer, something he accomplished while winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Durant has won two other gold medals with Team USA, first in London in 2012 and again in Brazil in 2016. The third gold matched Carmelo Anthonys record for an American man. Anthony was the previous all-time leading scorer.
Its unclear when Durant will be cleared to return, but he said he hoped to participate on the next leg of their training camp. After Wednesdays scrimmage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Team USA will fly to Abu Dhabi for a week, where it will take on both Australia and Serbia in exhibition games.
After Abu Dhabi, Team USA will play South Sudan and Germany in exhibitions in London before traveling to Paris. Their first matchup in the Olympics, against Serbia, is scheduled for July 28.