Team USA’s Olympic men’s basketball campaign is off to a rocky start with two stars battling illness ahead of their opening game in Paris.
The NBA’s star-studded roster representing the United States has been without its two top centers for several practices as they prepare to face Serbia on Sunday.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid did not participate in Saturday’s practice and LA Lakers center Anthony Davis has been out of practice for the past few days, both due to illness. However, coach Steve Kerr remains hopeful that his entire roster will be available for kickoff.
“I’m sure we’ll have everyone ready (on Sunday),” Kerr said.
The Golden State Warriors coach’s statement means Kevin Durant will also be available despite suffering a calf injury early in camp. The two-time NBA champion participated in his third consecutive workout after missing all five of Team USA’s exhibition games.
Two US men’s basketball stars have been battling the disease ahead of their opening game
Centers Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis have been dealing with illnesses in Paris over the past week.
“Hopefully he’ll be able to play,” Kerr said. “He came out of the scrimmage two days ago really well and we’ll practice again today and just keep taking it day by day.”
Durant is Team USA’s all-time leading scorer at the Olympics. Despite his predicted availability, Kerr wouldn’t commit to starting him right away. However, his fellow Americans made it clear they’re eager to have him on the court.
“The impact was immediate,” LeBron James said of Durant on Saturday. “He looked really good in practice the other day. Obviously, his pace and timing will continue to improve, but if we can get him back, he’ll have a huge impact on our club.”
Meanwhile, two-time champion Jrue Holiday added: “That’s Kevin Durant. What are we talking about?”
Coach Steve Kerr remains confident his entire squad will be available on Sunday
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant missed all of their exhibition games with a calf injury.
The Americans will face Nikola Jokic and Serbia in their first match at the Olympics.
LeBron James and Davis argued that their preparation will help them overcome the Nuggets center.
Team USA will be hoping to contain a familiar and common foe, Nikola Jokic, who will lead Serbia in games. LeBron and company come into the game with some momentum after beating Serbia 105-79 in a friendly game on July 17, limiting the Joker to 6 of 19 shots.
However, the Serbians won their final warm-up game against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece by a convincing 20-point margin. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 points, while Jokic managed a near triple-double with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
“Jokic, with what he’s capable of doing, obviously we know what he does in the NBA, but maybe he’ll be used a little bit more in the international game,” Davis said. “It’s going to be fun.”
“This isn’t like the NBA, where it’s a marathon,” James added. “This is a sprint. It’s a Michael Johnson/Usain Bolt game. The real thing starts tomorrow… so we have to be ready to go, and we will be.”