Kevin Durant: NBA Villain, U.S. Olympic Hero

Kevin Durant’s controversial decision to join the Golden State Warriors has caused some to view the MVP as a villain. He has a chance to be a hero in Rio.

When Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors, many questioned his “mental toughness.” Some would say that choosing to join a super team was a sign that Durant doesn’t believe he can win a championship as the best player on a team.

Whether that’s true or not, the perception is there and the long history of coming up short with the Oklahoma City Thunder, most recently the epic collapse when they were leading the Warriors 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals, has built up a reputation that Durant is part of the reason why his teams choke.

I’m not here to say whether that’s true or not, but it’s ironic that when the U.S. takes the court in the 2016 Rio Olympics, much of the team will be on his shoulders.

Carmelo Anthony, at age 32, is the elder statesman of the team, but Durant is the only other player with Olympic experience.

Related Story: 50 Most Underrated Players In NBA History

It would not be a surprise at all if Durant leads the U.S. in scoring in the tournament and he will be one of the candidates to lead all scorers in the Olympics.

The U.S. is expected to dominate competition and anything less than an undefeated run to a gold medal would be shocking.

More from USA Basketball

• 3 Players who will benefit most from playing for Team USA
• Ranking the 10 biggest threats to Team USA at 2023 FIBA World Cup
• Grant Hill believes the FIBA World Cup won’t be easy for Team USA
• Team USA’s 2023 World Cup Roster: strengths, weaknesses, depth, more
• Commitment from Zach LaVine completes Team USA squad for 2021 Olympics

As much as some of Durant’s critics have questioned his leadership, my question to those people is whether or not they are happy Durant is on the U.S. National Basketball Team.

Would the team be better off without the so-called “choke artist,” who allegedly has “no leadership capabilities?”

Of course not. He’s one of the best players of the modern era. The U.S. is fortunate to have him on its roster, especially considering Stephen Curry and LeBron James will not be playing in Rio.

When the U.S. is dominating its way to gold, fans will be happy to have Durant on their side, as there’s a strong argument that he is the best player participating in the Olympics.

Fans can label Durant a villain and say he doesn’t know how to win or lead, so on and so forth, but when the U.S. team wins its third consecutive gold medal, how many of his critics will be upset he was on the roster?

However, an unlikely scenario, could arise.

There’s no such thing as a guarantee in basketball, but U.S. domination is the closest thing to it in 2016.

Let’s say for argument’s sake, the U.S. has a scare in one of the games in group play. Perhaps France, Serbia or Australia give them a close contest.

Most would agree that this U.S. team is not as talented as the ones that won gold medals in 2008 and 2012. It’s clear that this team has less international experience.

What if the U.S. were to fail to meet expectations in Rio and was upset by another medal contender, like Lithuania, Spain, or Argentina?

It sounds crazy, but Spain only lost by seven points in the 2012 championship and Lithuania only lost by five in a preliminary round meeting.

Obviously this is not a likely scenario, but if that were to happen, there’s no doubt that the team leaders, Anthony and Durant would receive quite a large share of criticism.

I can picture the next day reactions now. “This is why Durant can’t lead a team.” “Melo and Durant don’t know how to win.”

Fair or unfair, if Durant and the U.S. cruise to a gold medal, we won’t hear many people praising his leadership abilities.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Once the Rio Games are over on Aug. 21, many NBA fans will go back to hating Durant and his status of playing the villain role will be back to normal.

Durant may not care one way or the other. He had to take that into account when making the decision to leave OKC and the benefits of playing with Golden State must have outweighed the backlash he would receive.

To Durant’s critics, my question is this: Can a guy really be a villain if you cheer for him when he wears the Stars and Stripes?

It’s only basketball. During the NBA regular season and especially playoffs, many will get worked up over it. The new Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant rivalry is already heating up.

This is just an appeal to reason. Hating somebody for sports-related issues is fine. People do it all the time.

More hoops habit: 50 Greatest NBA Players Not in the Hall of Fame

But if you’re one of the whack jobs who sent death threats to his family or even just a fan that has attacked the man’s character, don’t be a hypocrite and cheer when he’s dominating international competition as a representative of our country.