Looking back at the 2016 Rio Olympics ... and how it could presage 2021 Brooklyn Nets

Alex Schiffer of The Athletic lists all the caveats —it was four years ago, it was against lesser competition and the Nets trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan were healthy. But all that (and more) said, the Rio Olympics were the only time that trio were on the court together in their careers. In fact, it was in the Brazilian megacity that the three first discussed playing together.

So The Athletic took a look at all 250 possessions that the trio played together and offers an extensive film study of how they played together.

Here’s some highlights from Schiffer’s take. In the Olympics, KD wore No. 5, Irving No. 10 and Jordan No. 6.

Durant and Irving have trust in each other and both are comfortable deferring to one another for a better look.

That unselfishness extends to screening by both superstars...

Look for KD to play the roll of trailer with Kyrie looking to find him...

Expect both KD and Irving to have big roles in playmaking...

And yes, indeed, KD can play a lot of different positions...

There’s a LOT more there, including how the two superstars can work with a big like DJ and just the pure playmaking skills of Durant and Irving.

• What can we learn about the KD and Kyrie-led Nets from 2016 Olympics film? - Alex Schiffer - The Athletic New York