It appears that Joel Embiid’s terrible recent play has finally caught up to him! The player played zero minutes in the most recent game between Team USA and South Sudan; in contrast, guys like Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo saw an increase in playing time.
In addition, after sitting out the previous games, Jayson Tatum finally received some playing time during this game. Two-star athletes can only be given less credit than their peers while competing for the gold medal in the Olympics.
Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum both understand how important it is for them to stay out, despite their performances on the global scene. The most seasoned Olympian on Team USA, Kevin Durant, recently underlined the same point. In a statement, he talked about the DNP-CDs (did not play; coach’s choice) against the pair and said, “They didn’t complain.” It would be difficult to fly all the way to Paris and then miss out on the excitement, especially because one player already has the 2023 NBA MVP title and the other just won the NBA championship.
Luckily for Tatum, head coach Steve Kerr quickly announced that Jayson will play after watching the prior games. He will be necessary for us. The athlete finished with a total of 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in his 17:10 game on the floor.
Embiid was available for the pregame warmups, so it’s likely that he isn’t completely out of the starting lineup. The crowd that had come to see the game in Paris live let him in with raucous jeers and boos, as usual. Thankfully, the athlete accepted the criticism with grace and waved his hands to encourage the supporters even more.