Joel Embiid went from starting every single game Team USA had played this summer to being a DNP for their group-stage game against South Sudan. The USA emerged 103-86 winners to seal their place in the knockout rounds, but Embiid’s sudden benching confused fans and experts. Team USA head coach Steve Kerr has explained why he decided to bench Embiid for this game.
“This is the fastest team in the tournament we’re going to play. We wanted to match up. They made 14 threes against us in London. The whole game today was going to be about switching and staying in front of people.”
The close-fought matchup between the USA and South Sudan in London definitely spooked the national team camp. They nearly lost that game until LeBron James pulled off a fourth-quarter takeover to win 101-100.
Funnily, that exhibition game was arguably Embiid’s best performance amongst a sea of struggles at the time. He put up 14 points (5-6 FG) along with seven rebounds in that win, but he did look defensively exposed when South Sudan used their athleticism and speed to attack the rim.
Both Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis had more impressive defensive showings in that London exhibition, which explains why they were two of the USA’s most featured pieces in this contest.
Davis started instead of Embiid and put up eight points (4-7) and seven rebounds. Adebayo came off the bench to lead all scorers with 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-2 3PT).
Kevin Durant Is Happy To See Team USA Sacrifice For Wins
The only goal for Team USA in Paris is to stack wins and bring home a Gold medal. The USA’s unquestioned dominance in international basketball has come under threat in recent seasons, which led to the formation of the superteam we see in action now. After multiple close wins in the exhibition games, they realized they weren’t impervious just because of the names on the roster.
In a 40-minute FIBA game, Steve Kerr is running 10-man rotations, which will lead to a few players getting DNP’s. Kevin Durant commented on the same, praising both Embiid and Jayson Tatum for sacrificing minutes to ensure team success so far.
“Last game, we had a champion and an all-NBA guy not play any minutes, and tonight we had an MVP not play any minutes. They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly.”
Even if you don’t agree with the rotations, you can’t argue with the results. Coach Kerr has found the combinations they need to consistently dominate games without having a major drop-off with certain combinations of players. It doesn’t matter if Tyrese Haliburton, Tatum, or Embiid didn’t play, because Team USA was dominant in both games.
Given Embiid’s health issues as well, it’s fair to say benching him for one game is not a big deal in the larger scheme of what this team is trying to achieve.
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