No minutes for Embiid: Why was he only USA player to sit in win vs. South Sudan?

Former Kansas center Joel Embiid, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player two seasons ago, was the only member of the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team to not enter Wednesday’s 103-86 second-round Group C victory over South Sudan at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Paris, France.

The decision to sit the healthy 30-year-old 7-footer was made by Team USA head coach Steve Kerr, who also did not use NBA stars Jayson Tatum of the league-champion Boston Celtics or Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers during Sunday’s 110-84 Group C-opening win against Serbia.

In that game, Embiid started and scored four points with two rebounds in 11 minutes. The Philadelphia 76ers star also started the U.S. team’s five exhibition games leading up to the Games.

On Wednesday, each of Embiid’s 11 U.S. teammates played eight or more minutes in the lopsided victory over South Sudan. On Sunday, Tatum and Haliburton were the only U.S. players to not enter that game. Tatum started and scored four points in 17 minutes, while Haliburton had six points in eight minutes off the bench Wednesday as the U.S. assured itself a spot in the quarterfinals.

“Kerr said Embiid was DNP-coaches decision against South Sudan because Team USA wanted to better match up with (Sudan’s) team speed,” Ben Golliver of the Washington Post wrote on social-media site X after Wednesday’s game. “Kerr said he will start LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Embiid versus Puerto Rico on Friday.”

Kerr, the coach of the Golden State Warriors, told USA Today: “I don’t read social media. I would hope our guys aren’t paying too much attention to that (controversy surrounding minutes). That’s a regular-season thing where the soap opera can carry the ratings. Here, it’s just win a damn gold.”

Big men Bam Adebayo (18 points, seven rebounds) and Anthony Davis (eight points, seven rebounds) played 21 and 19 minutes, respectively, on Wednesday.

In a recent 101-100 exhibition win versus South Sudan, Embiid started and scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting (with seven rebounds) in 18 minutes.

Embiid did not speak with reporters after Wednesday’s game. Kevin Durant, who scored 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench, said there was no controversy involving playing time for Team USA players.

“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,” Durant told the Washington Post after scoring 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench. “They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly.”

Reporters covering the game indicated there was no mention of any injury that might have caused Embiid to sit out the contest.

Before the game, Embiid told Basketnews.com: “This is a different setting, a great setting for me because I’m playing with a lot of great players. It’s all about finding ways to bring whatever I can and, obviously, make sure that we win. That’s all there is. In the NBA, I’m used to being the guy. Now, you gotta give it up, so I’m loving it.”

Embiid has not been a fan favorite of spectators from France at the Paris Games. Embiid chose to play for Team USA over France after France made arrangements for Embiid to play for the host country.

On Wednesday, reporter Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote on X: “Huge cheers for LeBron James as he leads U.S. players onto the court for warmups. Big boos moments later for Joel Embiid, who chose to play for U.S. over host country France (and his native Cameroon). Embiid smiles and motions for crowd to get louder.”

Embiid averaged 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds in his one-and-done season at KU (2013-14). He averaged 34.7 points, 11 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 39 games for Philly this past season.

Team USA, 2-0, will meet Puerto Rico, 0-2, in a third Group C game at 10:15 a.m. Saturday in Paris.