Despite winning three straight scoring championships, Kevin Durant did not have the best ball use rate on his team but stands alone as the United States men's basketball all-time scorer at the Olympics with 354 points.
Kevin Durant Sets New Record
In a recently published article in MSN News, the 32-year-old was only one point shy of Anthony's all-time record of 336 points before Saturday's match against the Czech Republic. He had 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the 119-84 victory for the United States.
Kevin Durant, who was the top scorer for the gold-medal winning teams in both London and Rio, is competing in his third Olympics. If the United States wins gold in Tokyo as well, Durant will equal Anthony's three Olympic gold medals in men's basketball.
The Americans' victory against the Czech Republic was their second consecutive blowout after losing their Olympic opener to France. They progress to the elimination stage, which starts on Aug. 3 with the quarterfinals, but the first of those four games will take place on Monday, Aug. 2 at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, according to a published article in Yardbarker.
Kevin Durant's Basketball Performance
Durant is one of the most productive scorers in NBA history. The former MVP of the league is renowned for having one of the finest mid-range games in the league. For his height and stature, Durant is one of the most talented players. Despite winning three straight scoring championships, Kevin Durant did not have the best ball use rate on his team, according to the statistics.
The two-time NBA champion has a career field-goal percentage of 49.4 percent and a free-throw percentage of 88.3 percent. Durant now sits in ninth place on the all-time postseason scoring leaderboard. During his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he was drafted, KD has won four scoring championships. Despite becoming the scoring champion, Durant's usage rate on his own team was not the greatest, according to a published article in The Sports Rush.
Kevin Durant's Basketball Statistics
For three years in a row, the former Rookie of the Year topped the league in scoring. Durant had a 30.6 percent usage rate in the 2010-11 season, averaging 27.7 points per game on a 58.9 percent. Russell Westbrook, KD's OKC teammate at the time, had a 31.6 percent usage rate, averaging 21.9 points per game on a 53.8 percent.
Durant also topped the NBA in scoring in the 2011-12 season. On a 61 percent TS, the 11-time All-Star had a usage rate of 31.3 percent and averaged 28 points in every game. Westbrook also led the club in ball usage with a 32.7 percent usage rate while averaging 23.6 points per game on a 53.8 TS.
Durant earned his third scoring championship in a row in the 2012-13 season. Westbrook had a 34.4 percent usage rate and averaged 21.8 PPG on a 54.5 percent TS while the superstar had a 33.0 usage rate and averaged 32.0 PPG on a 63.5 percent TS. During the 2013-14 season, KD was named MVP. During the same season, the superstar earned his fourth straight scoring championship.
Durant's former Warriors coach Steve Kerr was reported earlier this year as stating that KD was probably more talented than Michael Jordan. The former Oklahoma City Thunder star is undeniably one of the most efficient and talented players of his stature.
