Tokyo 2020: Kevin Durant and Rudy Gobert lead 5 players to watch in men’s basketball at Olympics

Brooklyn Nets superstar heads into the tournament as the centrifugal force, but US lacking ‘Dream’ of previous teams

Nigeria, France and Spain all have NBA talent and capable players who could lead their squads to an upset victory if the US can’t find immediate chemistry

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Despite a number of formidable nations nipping at their heels, this is still Kevin Durant and the US basketball team’s tournament to lose. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:30am, 22 Jul 2021Updated: 9:09am, 22 Jul 2021

The men’s basketball competition at Tokyo 2020 kicks off on July 25, two days after the opening ceremony and, once again, the competition boils down to the United States and everybody else.

The Americans, who are not as star-studded this time around, are still favourites to win, but the days of the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” where they blew away the competition en route to easy gold are long gone. Still, the team are looking for their fourth consecutive gold medal and despite losing their first two exhibition games, are expected to get out of their group with ease given they will play Iran and the Czech Republic as two of their three round robin games.

The tournament is likely to come down to whichever nation can put up the best challenge against the US in the finals, and that will hinge on a number of key players. For the Americans, it’s two, along with their legendary coach. Here’s a breakdown of the five players who will play a massive part in how the basketball tournament plays out at the Saitama Super Arena.

Kevin Durant

If the Tokyo 2020 gold medal game comes down to one shot, you can bet this is the man who will be taking it. The Brooklyn Nets superstar comes with a pedigree no one else in the tournament has – the 32-year-old forward is a two-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, where he won two NBA Finals MVP trophies.

Durant’s game is built around his ability to score from multiple positions, behind the arc, in close, one-on-one, in transition. His 6ft 10in (2.08m) height, combined with his speed and agility, means he can operate like a guard but requires a forward to defend him. He regularly causes headaches for teams playing off the ball, and US men’s coach Greg Popovich, who coaches the San Antonio Spurs, has already shown he’s going to build the offence primarily around him.

Gabe Vincent

The Nigerian squad, who have an unprecedented number of NBA players (nine), and an NBA assistant coach in Mike Brown (Warriors), already showed they will be a force to be reckoned with as they downed the Americans in Las Vegas in their first exhibition game.