Kevin Durant‘s return is still under review with the Olympics less than a week away. But Durant is on the roster, so why is his return more concerning knowing that he will be on the team? Well, the final roster of  Team USA will be announced this weekend. Now, Durant hoped that he would compete in Abu Dhabi which of course, didn’t happen. Following that when the team arrived in London, there were rumors that he might suit up against Germany. However, he has yet to hit the floor. On the other hand, if the injury concerns strike the Suns, the front office might pull him from the squad before Saturday.

However, recently, Kevin Durant’s agent, Rich Kleiman cleared the dust around Durant’s return. Brain Windhorst believed that Durant wouldn’t be playing the first group-stage game against Serbia. But, Kleiman’s response might surprise fans. Kleiman simply responded “not true”, hinting at Durant’s return on the 28th against Serbia. Now if this is a legitimate announcement of his return, not only would fans be delighted but also the squad.

In the last two exhibition games, Team USA missed Durant in all aspects. They edged out against Germany and South Sudan as KD’s return status became vital news. And Durant knows the stakes of this year’s Olympics. If Team USA bags gold in Paris, Durant will have the most Olympic gold medals in men’s basketball history. As far as his activity with the team, Durant finally got some shots up when the team arrived in London. Since then, there have been hopes of him returning right at the start of the Olympics.

However, it is quite clear that he won’t be in the starting lineup. Why? Considering the expectations of his return since day one, at this point it seems that his calf injury may be alarming. While his agent’s response to Windhorst’s words pours a lot of hope, nothing can be said for sure till Saturday. Kawhi Leonard withdrew after a few practice sessions, but on his part, the concerns were quite different. Whereas for Durant, the squad might need his help.

Kevin Durant needs to come back

There may not be an easy way to say this, but the Americans are not going to have it easy this year! The last two exhibition games gave a brutal reality check to those who expected the squad to take each game by 30 points or so. Yes, this might have been a bump on the road, but it definitely is alarming. At this point, Team USA is missing Kevin Durant. While his return won’t make a considerable impact, his presence as a scoring threat is enough to keep the offense even more unpredictable.

Steph was heavily guarded against Germany. In fact, he thought of taking the last shot, but his defender wouldn’t let him move. On the other hand, LeBron James has a lot of attention while going for a bucket, but it’s his size that helps him through. Now, Kevin is a major mid-range threat. The Slim Reaper can pull the defense inside, leaving his teammates open either on the wing or in the corner. In short, the offense will become unpredictable given that either Embiid or the fifth man would be wide open.

Not only that but there are a lot of ways Durant can impact the team’s offense. It will be interesting to see whether Kevin Durant will suit up against Serbia on Sunday. What are your thoughts on Durant’s return? Do you think the Suns will try to pull him out of the squad? Let us know in the comments.