After leaving All-NBA First Team member Jayson Tatum on the bench in their victory against Serbia, Steve Kerr faces another hailstorm of controversy after not playing 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid in Team USA ’s 103-86 win over South Sudan, which secured their spot in the Olympics’ quarterfinals.
When questioned about his decision not to let the dominant 7-foot center play against South Sudan, Kerr confidently defended his decision, emphasizing its strategic nature.
Learned their lesson
The veteran coach didn’t arrive at this roster decision without sufficient evidence. Not long ago, South Sudan blitzed the Americans in their exhibition contest on July 20 in London, relying on their speed and deadeye shooting to knock the USA squad out of their rhythm. After barely eking out a 101-100 win, Kerr and his staff took note of South Sudan’s style of play and prepared for a rematch in the Olympics.
“This is the fastest team in the tournament that we’re going to play, and so we wanted to match up. They made 14 threes against us in London. So the whole game today was going to be about switching, staying in front of people, not letting them break us down,” the four-time champion coach said .
With that strategy in mind, it made perfect sense for Team USA to sit Embiid down. Although “The Process” is one of the most skilled players on the planet and an elite rim-protector, he might have had trouble staying in front of South Sudan’s quick players and extending his defense out to the three-point line.
Kerr added that he and the rest of the team are on the same page and willing to do whatever it takes to win another Olympic gold medal.
“That’s how we’re going to do this. Whatever we need to do to win each game, that’s what we’re going to do. And so for this game, it just felt like that was the lineup that made the most sense,” the former NBA marksman turned coach expressed.
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The luxury of depth
With Embiid sitting the night out, the center minutes went to Anthony Davis, who had eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, and two blocks, and Bam Adebayo, who led Team USA in scoring with 18 markers, seven boards, a dime, a steal, and two blocked shots.
Kerr acknowledged the team’s depth is a luxury no other team in this competition has, and he intends to maximize it.
“Our strength is that we can lean on all of those great players depending on matchups, depending on how we want to play, who we’re playing. And every single guy is capable of coming out there and taking over a game,” Steve emphasized. “I think keeping everybody engaged, looking at some different combinations. Everything kind of matters to us.”
As the United States concludes its group stage with a game against Puerto Rico this weekend, the team is fully aware that the competition will only intensify from this point onwards. The team has been dominant throughout the group stage, but they are aware that their true test will come in the later rounds, where one loss could mean elimination.
Related: "I went with the combinations that I felt like would make sense" - Kerr on benching Tatum and Haliburton in Olympic opener
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