Rudy Gay has taken Kevin Durant't place on the 16-man USA basketball roster. The roster still needs to be cut down to 12 before the FIBA World Cup begins in August 30.
Kevin Durant, the reigning NBA MVP, dropped out of team USA on Wednesday, citing mental and physical exhaustion as the reasons, according to the Washington Post.
Gay has already proven himself on the international stage, as he was part of the USA team that won the gold medal at the 2010 World Cup.
After losing Paul George to a gruesome leg injury, and now Durant, the team was in need of another athletic wing player who can do a lot of different things on the court. Gay is not as offensively skilled as George or Gay, but he no slouch either. The 6'8 Sacramento King has averaged 18.2 points per game throughout his 8-year career.
Gay is not a lock for the team though. The University of Connecticut product will be competing against Chandler Parsons, Gordon Hayward, Kyle Korver and DeMar DeRozan when the team resumes camp on August 14, that according to CBS.
All of those players have proven themselves in the NBA, but Gay's athleticism and explosiveness should help his chances of making the final roster.