VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — The question was apt, but at the same time a little flabbergasting for Stephen Curry to ponder.
Could he envision a scenario in which Kevin Durant, who shined in the U.S men’s basketball team’s Olympic-opening victory over Serbia, might continue to come off the bench?
“We’re talking about Kevin Durant as a sixth man,” Curry replied. “That tells you how good this team can be.”
Highlights were plentiful for the U.S. in the Serbia win. LeBron James awed with his signature one-handed dunks and celebratory flexes. Durant had a nearly perfect shooting night in his first official basketball game in two months because of a calf strain.
And everybody – who played that is – scored.
That’s because just as eye-popping was that Jayson Tatum – the newly minted highest-paid player in the NBA – and Tyrese Haliburton, who recently signed franchise record contract himself, didn’t see the court.
It illustrates the embarrassment of riches that exists for a team that says it’s still figuring out how best to utilize its talent.
“We’re still trying to build identity around who we are with this 12-man group,” Curry said. “It’s important to stay focused on not just getting a win, but how we do it.”
Coach Steve Kerr said aside from it being almost impossible to give sufficient minutes to 12 players in a 40-minute game, the idea of sitting Tatum in particular struck him as just as unfathomable.
“It seems crazy. I thought I was crazy when I looked at everything and determined these are the lineups I wanted to get to. Jayson’s first team All-NBA three years in a row. He’s one of the best players in the world.”
So good that Kerr said on Monday that Tatum will play when the team plays South Sudan on Wednesday.
Complicating Kerr’s decision-making going forward is that Durant’s contributions off the bench continued a trend that started during the exhibition portion of the leadup to the Olympics, in which the reserves have provided needed jolts for a team prone to slow starts and turnovers. The turnover total was 17 against Serbia.
And that, too, is the result of trying to find the proper rotations on a roster layered with skill.
Curry even acknowledged being nervous before making his Olympic team debut. It showed at times when he was beaten on a couple of back cuts on defense and had another turnover on an inbounds pass.
But he also thinks the answer to fixing those issues is not getting in their heads about it.
“It’s just a matter of everybody being ready to do what you’re asked to do, because every game is going to be a little different,” Curry said. “You can pick any five of us 12 and it’s a Hall of Fame lineup out there. We just have to play like it.”
