If you're not watching basketball at the Olympic Games in Paris right now, what the hell are you doing? It might be among the quietest periods in the NBA as we move into August - although the Phoenix Suns continue to make moves - but international play has been wildly entertaining.
Team USA are always going to be the focal point, and the return of former Suns great Kevin Durant to their lineup in the win over Serbia was certainly a talking point. So good was his performance in his first game back from a calf issue that he missed all five exhibition games, that we were even speaking about it in Ireland. Yes Ireland!
Durant was clearly in good spirits after the game, because he seemed to reveal the Suns' plans for next season.
Well on the offensive end anyway, which is where Durant is paid handsomely to shine the brightest. As Durant is known to do - and really, he seems to revel in it - he got into it on social media after the Serbia game, although there was a light-hearted feeling to the whole interaction.
What's the Suns' secret to success going to be next season then? The meticulous game plan? Well according to Durant, it's actually going to be none of that at all. Rather, a freestyle approach from time-to-time is how the Suns are going to reach their true potential.
Life is always about balance. Running a set play every time won’t work either. Balance!!!!! https://t.co/fEPsx2ipAA
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 29, 2024
If you dig a little further though, it appears Durant sought this interaction out, and interact with this seemingly random person he certainly did. The 35-year-old even went so far as to expand on his inital point, and make some more good ones in the process.
Random basketball!! U not comprehending what I’m saying. U can RANDOMLY set a screen, RANDOMLY back cut, RANDOMLY make a pass to the open man. Focus on what I’m saying
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 29, 2024
But can it really be that easy? Just run some plays but also set some random screens and make some random cuts, and your three star players - or 12 in the case of Team USA - can take you the rest of the way? Actually yes, and if you watch basketball then you'll know that elite talents sometimes make it up as a possession develops. If anything, that's what a smart player should be doing, adapting.
The only reason Suns fans might be worried by Durant's proclamation is because they just lived through a season of throwing it up and figuring it out as they went, and the results were not pretty. The two key differences this time round though, could make all the difference.
The first is that new head coach Mike Budenholzer is far less rigid than the departed Frank Vogel, and excels in more loose offensive schemes. On top of that, the Suns also addressed their point guard issue in a big way recently. So having a point guard who can actually plan certain plays instead of relying on Devin Booker and Bradley Beal should make all the difference here. And now you know.