USA Olympic Basketball Team 2012: Americans' Success Hinges on Kevin Durant

The success of the men's US Olympic basketball team this summer at the 2012 London Olympics hinges on the play of NBA superstar Kevin Durant.

The league's three-time defending scoring champion has become the sport's smoothest and most versatile scorer, hands-down one of the finest the game has ever seen.

Durant led a much less experienced Team USA to the gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championships two summers ago as a 21-year-old, averaging 22.8 points per game, the most by any American and the third most in the tournament.

Durant also shot a scorching 63 percent from the field and 46 percent from beyond the arc during that impressive run to the gold.

His growth over the past two years suggests that he will take the reigns as the most lethal offensive basketball player on the planet this summer in London. Just in case anyone is still doubting that, he already has.

Durant's first taste of Olympic basketball will surely be sweet, especially after his first outing with the 2012 squad produced a 24-point effort on 9-of-11 shooting from the field last Thursday against the Dominican Republic. 

Team USA won by 54 points, and no player was more dominant during their time on the floor than Durant, who shot 5-of-6 from behind the 3-point line and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. 

The numbers do not lie, and they paint a picture of Durant as the bona fide leader of Team USA this summer. He may not be the vocal leader that Kobe Bryant is, or the tone-setter that LeBron James is capable of being, but Durant makes his teammates' jobs easier.

He handles a scoring load and presents a matchup nightmare; he will always be at an advantage, no matter the circumstances. 

Quite frankly, neither Kobe Bryant (at age 33) nor LeBron James can produce as quickly and in as much variety as Durant can. If Team USA's roster is loaded with stars, Kevin Durant is the lone supernova. 

Although it is hard to argue that the Americans will have much trouble defending their gold medal in London this summer, it is not difficult to understand that their path to success will be paved by Durant. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke For More Take on the 2012 USA Olympic Basketball Team.