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Kevin Durant starred in the final of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Men's Basketball event to lead Team USA to their fourth straight gold medal. In doing so, Durant staked his claim as arguably the best-ever Olympic basketball player for Team USA. He produced 29 points and 6 rebounds to ensure what is his third medal from three Olympic games.
Meanwhile, Australia defeated Luka Doncic’s Slovenia in the bronze medal match to earn the country’s first-ever basketball medal at the Olympics. The 2021 Tokyo Olympics produced some memorable individual displays, with quite a few of the best performers having to return without a medal this time around.
In this article, we look at the five best performers in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Best performers from 2021 Tokyo Olympics’ Men’s Basketball event
On his way to leading Team USA to gold, Kevin Durant became the highest scorer in the history of the Olympics, surpassing Carmelo Anthony. Luka Doncic produced some elite basketball but could not help his team past an Australian side that saw memorable performances of their own.
#5 Evan Fournier
France’s most prolific scorer at the tournament, Evan Fournier delivered in all of the big fixtures and was the best performer in their victory during the opening game. Fournier produced his best performance in the first game, registering 28 points and 4 rebounds and continued in the same stead for the rest of the tournament.
France were able to register their best-ever finish at the Olympics and added to a solitary bronze with their second-placed finish. Evan Fournier was arguably the team’s best player, and came up clutch throughout the knockouts as well.
#4 Ricky Rubio
Ricky Rubio made his presence felt in a Spanish squad that had multiple NBA veterans, including the Gasol brothers. Rubio had an immensely prolific Olympics 2021 run and finished the tournament leading in points per game (ppg), second only to Luka Doncic in overall efficiency rating.
Rubio was relentless throughout the tournament and averaged 25.5 points and 6 assists per game whilst shooting at almost 48% from the 3-point line. He was highly impressive in the loss to Team USA in the quarters and finished with 38 points and 4 rebounds.
#3 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant led a talented but underperforming Team USA to yet another gold. He was at his best throughout the tournament and was the only Team USA player to average more than 20 points per game. Durant had the second-highest efficiency rating, along with Ricky Rubio, and came up clutch when his team needed him the most.
Durant produced his best basketball of the tournament in the knockout stages, averaging 26 points and 6.2 assists in the last 4 games of the tournament. He blew France away in the first three quarters in the final. In the process, Durant became the first basketball player to win three Olympic gold medals.
#2 Patty Mills
Patty Mills was instrumental to Australia’s first ever Olympics basketball medal. He had an overall efficiency rating of 20.5 and led his nation in both points and assists per game. The new Brooklyn Nets man produced a big 42-point performance to thwart Luka Doncic’s Slovenia.
The Slovenian defense failed to stop Patty Mills from driving inside and producing easy shots for himself. He converted 11 of his 16 two-pointers and was easily the best player on his team in the tournament. Overall, Patty Mills averaged 23.3 points and 6.3 assists per game.
#1 Luka Doncic
Despite a disappointing end to the tournament, Luka Doncic was the best player according to statistics and had an overall efficiency rating of 29.1. He single-handedly dragged an average roster to the semifinals with his playmaking and control.
Doncic had an impressive triple double against France in the semis, finishing with 16 points, 18 assists and 10 rebounds. Although he had a couple of bad shooting nights, the Dallas Mavericks superstar made up for it with dimes and rebounds, and was easily the overall best player at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
