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KD asserts himself on Team USA: 'I'm supposed to score'

Lucy Nicholson / REUTERS

It's too much of a stretch to say Kevin Durant struggled in the group stages, but he clearly didn't dominate.

Durant is the most talented, and the most accomplished member of Team USA, but his quality didn't fully shine through until Wednesday's quarterfinals.

A trigger-happy Durant led the United States in scoring with 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting to obliterate a creaky Argentinian side.

"That was who I was supposed to be. No matter if it would’ve happened or not, I felt I was supposed to be a star," Durant told Michael Lee of The Vertical. "Aggressive player on the team. I'm supposed to score. I always felt that was me. I was brought up that way. I was raised that way."

Durant was ruthlessly efficient in the five round robin games, but it wasn't clear if he was the No. 1 option. In a three-point win over Serbia, Durant only took four shots despite logging 30 minutes.

Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, and even Kyrie Irving have taken turns being the go-to scorer, but on Wednesday, Durant firmly seized the reins.

That's how it's supposed to be for Durant, and his teammates were happy to defer.

"This is the stage he thrives on," Irving said of Durant. "You can count on KD being KD in the biggest moments, which we’ve all come to respect and kind of rely on."

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