Joel Embiid was a notable absence in U.S. men's basketball's 103-86 victory over South Sudan on Wednesday, with head coach Steve Kerr opting to hand minutes to any and all parties other than the former league MVP, including Celtics star Jayson Tatum , the man who suffered the same fate in USA's first Olympic matchup.
It was a stunning, albeit necessary move, at least according to Kerr.
He offered insight into his decision to let the Sixers supernova ride the pine instead of setting him loose against a long and skilled South Sudanese backcourt.
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Why did Joel Embiid get a DNP vs. South Sudan?
The philosophy behind Kerr's decision, he explained, was that he felt that the defining characteristics of South Sudan's roster — its speed and athleticism — were less forgiving to Embiid. Instead, he opted for quick, switchable wings — players like Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo, and Kevin Durant — in the hopes of keeping pace with their opposition.
"This is the fastest team in the tournament we're going to play," Kerr said. "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 decision appeared to work a treat, in the end. USA opened up a sizable 19-point advantage at the end of the first half, and despite Nuni Ornot, Bul Kuol, and Carlik Jones' best efforts, South Sudan couldn't mount the comeback.
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Embiid was fairly effective when the two sides met earlier in the month, recording 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting while corralling seven rebounds, and three assists. Still, the game was a barnburner, filled with twists and turns. South Sudan's swiftness of feet played a prominent role. If not for LeBron James' late-game heroics , the matchup could've gone a different way.
Kerr praised Embiid for handling his benching with grace, just as Tatum did against Serbia. He also hailed those who garnered more minutes in Embiid's stead for performing admirably in increased minutes.
"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," Kerr said. "They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly."
It seems Embiid will be rewarded for his patience come USA's next game, a clash with Jose Alvarado and Puerto Rico on Friday. He confirmed that Embiid would be starting the game alongside Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, and LeBron James.
Kerr did implore his players to lay off social media in the meantime. He argued that the politics of playing time proved quite folly in Olympic play. After all, the goal — a glistening gemstone hanging around one's neck — is fairly tangible.
"They’re pros and committed to each other," Kerr added. "I don’t read social media. I would hope our guys aren’t paying too much attention to that. That’s a regular season thing where the soap opera can carry the ratings. Here, it’s just win a damn gold."
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