Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant return to the mainland adorned with gold medals and national pride.
USA Basketball at 2016 Summer Olympics
Only a select number of basketball players can say they’ve won an NBA championship. Even fewer can show off an Olympic gold medal.
In the midst of a whirlwind offseason, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green can claim both, while Kevin Durant is now a two-time member in the latter category. After deep playoff runs, the three NBA and Olympic teammates put thoughts of well-deserved rest aside in pursuit of the highest international honor in their sport – a shining gold medallion, earned against some of the world’s best on the globe’s most grandiose athletic stage. With talent unparalleled and the expectations to match, there was only one possible result for Team USA in Rio that wouldn’t classify as a massive disappointment, and as the three Warriors stood arm-in-arm with their Olympic teammates atop the podium following their runaway victory over Serbia in the Gold Medal Game, whatever doubt persisted was finally put to rest. Despite a few rocky showings, Team USA accomplished what it set out to do, and now Green, Thompson and Durant return to the mainland adorned with gold medals and national pride.
For Durant, this experience isn’t entirely new. He won gold with Team USA at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and over the course of these most recent Games, has placed himself amongst the top scorers ever to don the red, white and blue. In Rio, Durant led the team in scoring by averaging 19.4 points per game during Team USA’s perfect 8-0 run through the tournament. He saved his best effort for last, scoring 30 points against Serbia in the Olympic Final, including 18 in the second quarter and 24 in the first half alone. The 6’9” forward now owns the two highest point totals in a single Olympic competition in Team USA history, scoring a record 156 points in 2012 and following it up with 155 points in 2016. Durant has now scored 311 total points for Team USA in his Olympic career, second only to Carmelo Anthony (336) for most career points scored by an individual in U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team history. At still only 27 years of age, it would seem Durant has a tremendous chance at owning that record all to himself in another four years time.
For Thompson and Green, on the other hand, they can now check off another big box on their list of career accomplishments, right next to ‘All-Star’ and ‘NBA Champion’. Thompson uncharacteristically struggled to get his shot to fall in the preliminary round, shooting a combined 4-of-26 from the floor for a total of 11 points through the first four games. But, as he has done so many times before, once he broke through, he did so in a big way. Thompson’s best game came in Team USA’s fifth and final preliminary round game against France, a slim 100-97 victory in which he totaled 30 points on a dynamic shooting display, sinking seven of 13 shots from behind the three-point line. Thompson delivered once again when his team was in desperate need, leading Team USA with 22 points in their 82-76 victory over Spain in the Semifinals.
On a team replete with stars, everyone is forced to make sacrifices, and for Draymond Green this meant fewer minutes on the court than he’s traditionally accustomed to. But, in Draymond-like fashion, that didn’t stop him from having a positive impact on the team, nor did it erode at the effort he put forth when his number was called. He scored a personal-best seven points in 12 minutes in Team USA’s 98-88 preliminary round victory over Australia, and based on per-minute output, Green ranked among the team’s best in both assist and steal rate. He also posted the second-best individual defensive rating on Team USA over the course of their 13 games (exhibitions included).
For Warriors fans, the rapidly evolving chemistry between the Dubs’ trio witnessed throughout Olympic play was surely an awesome sight, and one that will only be sweeter when those three step foot on the court at Oracle Arena – alongside Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and the rest of the 2016-17 Dubs – for Opening Night on October 25. Warriors training camp begins next month, and with any luck, the three Warriors’ gold medalists’ experience in Rio will give them a head start heading into another arduous season coming off the heels of a short, but memorable summer.