Steve Kerr decided to change up his starting lineup ahead of Team USA’s second game at the Paris Olympics. One of the two changes occurred in the frontcourt, because after going through all of the pre-Olympic exhibitions and the team’s first game with Joel Embiid starting at center, Kerr decided to put the Philadelphia 76ers star on the bench for their game against South Sudan with Anthony Davis sliding into the starting unit.
Unsurprisingly, the Americans were able to pick up a win on the evening. Despite a choppy third quarter, the United States 103-86, to secure their spot in the quarterfinal of the tournament. But in what perhaps is a surprise, Embiid did not get on the floor against South Sudan, making him the only player on the American roster who did not get into the game.
Noah Eagle: "Joel Embiid, despite not playing a minute, he's been active on the bench. He's been laughing with his teammates. He's been up on his feet cheering. He's handled this in a very impressive manner so far." https://t.co/7c31tSkUXt
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) July 31, 2024
It is difficult to find minutes for everyone on the Team USA roster, with Kerr noting it’s basically impossible to play 12 guys in a 40-minute game — last time out, neither Jayson Tatum nor Tyrese Haliburton played in the team’s win over Serbia. But Embiid is an interesting case, as he’s been under the spotlight this entire summer. His decision to suit up for the U.S. over Cameroon (his nation of birth) and France (the host nation for the Olympics) was the kind of high-profile decision you rarely see for the American roster, and while no one questions how good Embiid is, he’s struggled to get into the flow of the more free-flowing international game.
Additionally, while he performed well in the Americans’ narrow win over South Sudan in the lead-up to the Olympics, they’re an opponent that likes to spread the floor and get up shots from deep, so Embiid’s rim protection isn’t as valuable as it is against an opponent like Serbia (which has Nikola Jokic) or France (which has Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama). That’s especially the case because the team’s other two centers, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, are a little more comfortable switching than Embiid. And it’s also unclear if he was carrying a minor injury or just needed a break, but we assume that Kerr will address that at some point.
No matter what, this is going to be something people talk about for the next few days ahead of the team’s group stage finale against Puerto Rico on Saturday. It’s probably a safe bet that Embiid (along with Haliburton, for that matter) will get a good amount of game time in that one as long as he’s healthy, as the team is going to need him as the tournament goes on.
