Maybe he just needed a month off. In the weeks following Kevin Durant's calf strain in June, the question was whether he would be able to suit up for the U.S. at all in these Olympics. After a single half of the team's opener against Serbia, it became: Will he ever miss a shot again?
Durant was unconscious in Team USA's 110-84 win on Sunday, making his first eight shots en route to a team-high 23 points. He eased himself in with a couple of catch-and-shoot 3s, but things got more audacious the more comfortable he became. By the end, he might as well have had the "on fire" animation from NBA Jam following him.
Even crazier? After all that, Durant admitted that he didn't even really have his legs under him yet.
"I was tired, I'm not going to lie to you," Durant said. "My lungs were getting used to that intensity of the game. But it felt good to make some shots."
Durant entered the second half 8-for-8, and as LeBron James and Anthony Edwards helped stretch the U.S. lead, it seemed like he might finish it that way. Until, that is, he took his only shot of the second half, a jumper that missed the mark and ruined his perfect night.
"Oh man, it felt great leaving my hands," Durant said. "I definitely wanted to finish the game perfect."
Durant will have a chance to atone for that lone blemish in the U.S.'s next game of group play, coming Wednesday, July 31, against South Sudan.