Why Joel Embiid did not play for Team USA against South Sudan: Closer look at his absence
After a quiet game against Serbia, Joel Embiid has played zero minutes as Team USA entered the fourth quarter of their second Group C matchup against South Sudan. The Philadelphia 76ers star was the only player with no action today, emulating Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton’s roles in the first match of the group.
Steve Kerr had a tactical reason to bench Embiid for this contest. Here's what the USA coach said (via The Washington Post's Ben Golliver):
"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."
Embiid played 11 minutes in the first game against Serbia, while Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis both clocked 19 minutes. Embiid's absence hasn’t had a negative affect on Team USA’s play today.
Bam Adebayo played nearly 21 minutes against South Sudan, scoring a team-high 18 points, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots for Team USA. AD played 19 minutes, scoring eight points, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing three assists and blocking two shots.
Joel Embiid breaks down how he feels not being the No. 1 option for Team USA
Joel Embiid is living new experiences with Team USA, starting from the lack of minutes and reduced role with the squad, which has been a surprise for him. Speaking on not being the go-to guy for Team USA, Embiid admitted that he's loving it.
“In the NBA, I’m used to being the guy. Now, you gotta give it up, so I’m loving it," Embiid said, via BasketNews (h/t @legionhoops).
After several years of being the leader of the Philadelphia 76ers, he's now a role player for Team USA. With the likes of Adebayo and Davis performing at a high level, it's unclear if he'll have more minutes than them for the rest of the tournament.
Joel Embiid had an epic response to French fans booing him
The crowd does play a massive role for players when in action. Ahead of the South Sudan game, French fans let Joel Embiid know their true feelings about him.
Following his controversial decision to pick Team USA over the Europeans, Embiid isn't the most beloved person in France. Still, he's not paying much attention to that and had a strong response to the pre-match boos. It’s indeed a commendable approach from the big man that he never notices what’s going on in the stands.
Team USA made another statement today without Joel Embiid.