Erik Spoelstra welcomes Kevin Durant’s candidacy

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics have been the talk of the town in recent weeks. Perhaps it is the newest format of the All-Star Game, in which two American teams face off against a team made up of the best players from the rest of the world, that has revived the spirit of competition between players from different countries.

Kevin Durant he already announced they want to be a part of itwho has won the last four editions with Team USA and will approach 40 in July 2028. The Rockets star, however, announced that he will not seek a pass and his attendance should be confirmed by the new coach Erik Spoelstra.

The latter responded to KD’s exit while the Heat hosted the Rockets. The least we can say is that Spo’ appreciated the initiative. If Stephen Curry and LeBron James have a good chance of not being in the game, the technician appreciates the motivation of the veteran, who, however, no longer has anything to prove with the selection.

“Just the fact that he says it is unbelievable”, he said after a game won by the Heat. “That’s the identity of American basketball. We want the best American players to raise their hands and say, ‘I want to do this.’ »

Demand and taste for joint effort

Erik Spoelstra probably didn’t remain indifferent to Kevin Durant’s beautiful tribute to him either. Promoted to coach after joining Steve Kerr’s staff as an assistant, the Florida strategist impressed, with knowledge but also good will, putting status aside to help the team…

“I have to stay at the top of my game and then I would have the opportunity to be with Spo and his staff”he confirmed. “I’ve always been impressed with coach Spo from afar, but being in the same locker room as him, seeing his intensity, his scouting reports, made me want to keep going. He was so excited to be an assistant for Team USA and he understood that we wanted to make our mark as a team…Spo was great at doing the dirty work that we came in with every day. He made sure we came to practice every day.

Erik Spoelstra returned the compliment, praising the mental freshness of Kevin Durant, always motivated to keep improving, despite everything he has already achieved during his career.

“He’s a true tactician in terms of work ethic and training.”underlined the coach of Miami. “It’s a great lesson for all the young players coming into the league. It’s one thing to make shots and the other thing is to really work on developing players. I think that’s a lesson we all learned watching him work over the summer, those six weeks. After practice, before practice, in the days between games, he went out there with the intention of trying to improve, even in his mental development!

How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.