<<<Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski is aware Durant isn't the most vocal leader, which may be why he said Anthony will be the team's leader alongside KD. But in reality, it may be neither taking a dominant role. In just the first couple days of workouts, it has become clear that the only guy here with a 2016 NBA championship on his resume is ready to be more vocal.
It was Irving, already connected to Krzyzewski through Duke, who plopped right down in a seat next to Coach K to watch the USA Select Team scrimmage Tuesday. And it was Irving whom Krzyzewski repeatedly talked to as opposed to assistants Jim Boeheim, Gregg Popovich and Tom Thibodeau on his opposite side.
The dynamic makes sense given the role Irving has assumed.
Unlike Durant, who suddenly bowed out of 2014 U.S. camp citing fatigue after seeing George suffer that gruesome broken leg in 2014, Irving was a starter on that '14 team that won the FIBA Basketball World Cup. And this year, a reasonable guess at the Olympic starting five was grouped on the same team for the first workout: Cousins, Anthony, Durant, Thompson and Irving.
An emboldened Irving has been doing a lot of talking to these teammates and frankly looks like the alpha male on this UNLV campus, organizing post-practice drills and ribbing select team member D'Angelo Russell as "rookie" at one point.>>>
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