• Rudy Gobert shared his true thoughts on Joel Embiid choosing Team USA instead of France
• He spoke to Fadeaway World after the Timberwolves preseason win over the Mavericks
• Gobert is expected to lead France at the 2024 Olympics, alongside Victor Wembanyama
Rudy Gobert spoke to Fadeaway World after the Minnesota Timberwolves won their preseason opener against the Dallas Mavericks at the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023. We asked him about his real-time reaction to Joel Embiid declaring for Team USA instead of France for the 2024 Olympics.
“I am happy for him. I guess we’ll see him in Paris. I am happy for him, as long as he does what makes him happy and he follows his heart. That’s what matters. I think it’s definitely something that they needed. They needed a dominant big man, so they’re definitely going to have a good roster next summer.”
Embiid was picking between France, USA, and Cameroon for his national team eligibility. While France was considered one of the favorites for his commitment last year, Team USA made a concerted push to ensure Embiid would declare for them.
Team USA looks absolutely stacked with the interest some of the best American players in the league have shown. Hopefully, they can put their best lineup together and remind the world why they have won all but one Olympic Gold since 1992.
Team USA’s Potential Starting Five Looks Stacked
Team USA will be absolutely loaded for the Paris Olympics. The ball of top players committing got rolling when LeBron James allegedly recruited Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant to commit alongside him for next season. With Embiid’s addition and other top players like Devin Booker ready to play, Team USA is going to be dominant. Their potential starting lineup right now may be the best five they’ve fielded since 2008.
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Devin Booker
SF: LeBron James
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Joel Embiid
You’ll be hard-pressed to find any national team that comes close to competing with those five. On-court fit could tell an entirely different story due to the lack of continuity these five share together, but they will out-talent any team in the Olympics easily.
Their closest competition will come from France, Serbia, and Canada. France may not have Embiid, but they’re expected to have a frontline of Gobert and Victor Wembanyama. Serbia just clinched the silver medal in the FIBA World Cup and did so without the presence of Nikola Jokic, who will be expected to play next year.
Canada were heavy favorites for the World Cup alongside Team USA but couldn’t make it past the semis. They beat Team USA in the Bronze medal game. They hope to have Andrew Wiggins and Jamal Murray available at the Olympics, alongside Shai Gilgerous-Alexander. It’ll be tough for any of these teams to get past Team USA, but they’ll try their best.
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