Anthony Davis has been one of Team USA’s best players through the first two games of their pre-Olympic exhibitions. Davis put up 17 points and 14 rebounds off the bench in Team USA’s narrow win over Australia earlier today, with AD discussing with Fadeaway World if he expects to start over Joel Embiid soon.
“I have no idea. I just play the role they want me to. If not, that’s fine. Whatever Coach Kerr wants me to do and I’ll be ready for it.”
Anthony Davis on if he expects to start for Team USA against Serbia: "I have no idea. I just play the role they want me to. If not, that's fine. Whatever Coach Kerr wants me to do and I'll be ready for it." pic.twitter.com/vCLjw5ey92
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) July 15, 2024
Anthony Davis played 18 minutes in the game, putting up 17 points and 14 rebounds in that time. He was a tremendous presence on the inside, especially with Joel Embiid struggling to stop Jock Landale, who led all scorers in this game with 20 points through post-work.
Even though the USA won the game 98-92, they won’t leave the contest feeling extremely pleased. The team blew a 20-point lead in the second half, allowing Australia to find their way into the game in the third quarter before a close game down the stretch, which the USA closed out despite momentum being against them.
Joel Embiid’s struggles are getting hard to ignore, but there’s still time before the USA has to settle on a lineup. He looked better against Australia as compared to his first game for the USA where he fouled out in just 12 minutes. Embiid put up 10 points and five rebounds but still struggled with turnovers (3) and consistent impact on the court.
Steve Kerr Gets Real On Possibly Benching Joel Embiid
There are widescale calls from fans to Steve Kerr, encouraging the Warriors head coach to bench the 2023 league MVP in favor of Davis, who’s arguably been Team USA’s best player so far. Fadeaway World asked Kerr about the same, as the four-time champion head coach made it clear that changes will take place regardless of form. He also defended Embiid, citing his improvement throughout camp.
“These next few games, I’m going to continue experimenting with the lineup. Joel is getting better and better every day. It usually takes big guys longer to get rhythm and flow. I love Joel, he’s a dominant player. I think it’s going to be important for us to figure out the best combinations.”
Steve Kerr on possibly benching Joel Embiid: "These next few games, I'm going to continue experimenting with the lineup. Joel is getting better and better everyday… I love Joel, he's a dominant player. I think it's going to be important for us to figure out the best… pic.twitter.com/FtQZA8SzoN
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) July 15, 2024
Embiid’s box score against Australia won’t look as damning as the one against Canada, but it’s hard to justify this as a good performance when there were clear struggles on the court. He’s still adjusting to the FIBA pace and definitely improved slightly. Whether that’s enough to guarantee he is the bonafide starter, even over players like Davis or Bam Adebayo.
Playing a high-impact center in FIBA rules is a must, with Australia punishing the USA with Jock Landale’s 20 points. There’s no skill reason or Embiid to get outplayed by Dwight Powell and Jock Landale in consecutive games, so he needs to figure out how to rise over that and be a starter who earned his spot in a Gold medal run.
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