Joel Embiid’s competitive debut for Team USA at the Olympics on Sunday didn’t quite go to plan. While the U.S. comfortably beat Serbia 110-84, Embiid struggled in the contest and ended up being the only player on the team with a negative plus-minus.
In just over 11 minutes, Embiid was a -8, as the Philadelphia 76ers superstar recorded just 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block. While the plus-minus metric doesn’t always accurately represent how well someone played in a game, I’d say it was fairly accurate, in this case.
Embiid was woeful at the start of this game and head coach Steve Kerr had to sub him out after Serbia took a 10-2 lead in the opening minutes. Anthony Davis came in for him and played a lot better than the one-time MVP.
Embiid did play better in the second half, but by that point, the game was all but over. Kevin Durant and LeBron James had helped overturn that early deficit and seize complete control of the contest for the U.S.
While Team USA does not need Embiid to don that Superman cape with all the talent around him, they do need him to play better than he did in the opener. If the 30-year-old continues to struggle in the coming games, you wonder if Kerr will make a change in the starting lineup when we get to the knockouts.
Davis would be the obvious replacement and he played well as I mentioned earlier. The Los Angeles Lakers star had a game-high plus-minus of +28 and recorded 7 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal on the night. Davis also shone in the exhibition games and is making a strong case to be inserted into the starting lineup. I don’t think Kerr will make that change, but time will tell.
Team USA will take on South Sudan next on July 31, and that is, of course, a rematch. The two teams met in an exhibition game earlier this month and it took some heroics from LeBron for the U.S. to come away with a narrow 101-100 win. South Sudan would be hoping to pull off the upset this time around, but I expect Team USA to get the win.
Joel Embiid Was Booed During The Game Too
As if a poor showing on his competitive debut for Team USA wasn’t bad enough, Embiid was also booed heavily by the French fans in the arena.
🔊 Joel Embiid was booed heavily by French fans in the #Olympics opener and then cheered when he missed all 3 free throws #JoelEmbiid chose to play for the U.S. over France + Cameroon at the Paris Olympics #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/FgRZMjYz5h
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) July 28, 2024
As Jeff Skversky pointed out it probably had to do with Embiid’s decision to represent the U.S. over France and Cameroon. Unsurprisingly, that move didn’t go down too well in France.
French fans went as far as to tell Embiid to give back his passport when he arrived in Paris. The seven-time All-Star should expect to get a hostile reception throughout the tournament by the looks of it.
Embiid might be getting used to it by now, though, as he was booed by New York Knicks fans during the 2024 playoffs as well. He wasn’t able to shut them up as the Knicks eliminated the 76ers, but I think he will get the last laugh at the Olympics.
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