Kevin Durant's status for the start of the Olympic men's basketball competition has been up in the air for weeks now, and with the U.S. men's opener against Serbia just a day away, that remains the case — though head coach Steve Kerr did offer some qualified optimism on Saturday.

“Hopefully,” Kerr said when asked whether Durant would be available. While he stopped short of an explicit confirmation, he did add the following: “I’m confident we’ll have everybody ready tomorrow."

Durant missed all five of Team USA's exhibition games ahead of Paris because of a calf strain, but he's seemed to be trending toward a return in time for the Serbia game. Kerr said earlier in the week that he wasn't concerned about Durant's status, and Durant has practiced regularly this week, with the official USA Basketball X account even releasing footage of the 14-time NBA All-Star throwing down a dunk or two.

“We’ll see how things go in practice today,” Kerr said Saturday. “So far, so good. He came through the scrimmage two days ago pretty well.”

Durant, for his part, has been trying to soak in the atmosphere despite his injury. 

“It’s been incredible,” Durant said. “I mean, I haven’t played yet, but just being on the sideline, on the bench, I’ve got more energy than I’ve had in the past. I hate not playing, but just watching these guys, how they operate, it’s just been incredible.”

It's hard to overstate the impact Durant's return would have on a U.S. team shooting for a historic fifth straight gold medal in Paris. KD has his fingerprints all over the U.S. Olympic record book: He's the men's team's all-time leading scorer, and he's seeking to become the first player who can claim four Olympic men's basketball golds. Facing a field with more NBA talent than any other in Olympic history, Durant's scoring and versatility will be key to a successful gold-medal defense — a fact not lost on the rest of the star-studded roster.

“Instant impact. Instant impact,” LeBron James said when asked about what Durant means to the U.S. team. “He looked extremely well the other day in practice. Obviously, his wind, his rhythm is going to continue to come, but to be able to get him back, it makes a huge impact for our club.”