And Kevin Durant is back! And what a return it was! First shot, bang!!! 3 points. KD showed exactly why he is the top scorer for Team USA in the Olympics. With the ‘Olympic KD’ in full flow, Serbia did not stand a chance. The Slim Reaper relished the feel of the basketball gripped in his hand while clocking in long rangers in front of a packed crowd. And why wouldn’t he? After all, it marked a return that was 90 days in the making. However, there was a caveat.

The emotions start kicking in just after the adrenaline wanes off. The same happened for Kevin Durant, as the 2-time NBA Finals MVP revealed after the game. “I was tired. I’m not gonna lie to you. My lungs were getting used to that, the intensity of the game, but it felt good to make some shots,” Kevin Durant said in an interview after the blowout win.

“I think everybody’s played their role pretty well tonight. My role was to come and provide spacing and shot-making for the team and glad I was able to knock them down,” he said via BasketNews. Call it knocking them down or whatever you want, Kevin Durant was at his prime efficiency sinking 8-9 from the field and 5-5 from downtown.

He further added, “I mean, I’ve been playing ball my whole life. It’s just basketball at the end of the day. So I was trying to follow the game plan, be there for my teammates on the defensive end and when a ball can touch my hand, be aggressive.” Kevin Durant certainly enjoyed his return as he also revealed that he is happy “playing ball” during his interaction with Dawn Staley after the game. While Durant unboxed his feelings from the game, it was Steve Kerr‘s turn to reveal his thoughts on the Suns forward’s red-hot return.

Steve Kerr amazes at Kevin Durant’s return

If you take out Kevin Durant’s 23-point contribution, Team USA still would have won by 3 points. But KD’s contribution made the blowout win look simple, something that the Hoopers were struggling with in their Showcase games, and that has left his former franchise HC amazed. Speaking to the reporters in the post-game press conference, Kerr marvelled at Durant’s return. “I’ve coached Kevin for three years, and the thing that’s struck me the most about him is that more than any other player I’ve been around when he comes back from a long period of time off the court, you don’t realize that he’s been away for that long,” Kerr said.

The former Warriors star played just under 17 minutes and the large chunk of his haul came from downtown. KD clinically dialled up from deep and didn’t shy away from also gobbling two rebounds to help Team USA’s cause. Next up for Durant and Co. is South Sudan, the same team that pushed him to the limits earlier this month in London. The only difference in this will be Kevin Durant and expect him to be the point of difference, like he has been for the majority of his career.

And to absorb more interesting stories, watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where the prodigy puts Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr under the pump with loaded NBA questions and more in this video below.