Why didn't Joel Embiid play vs South Sudan? Steve Kerr cited matchup concerns for Team USA

craig meyer, usa today network

Wed, Jul 31, 2024, 7:14 p.m.·4 min read

The United States men’s basketball national team moved to 2-0 at the 2024 Paris Olympics Wednesday with a 103-86 victory against South Sudan.

The Americans were carried by a relatively balanced scoring effort, with six of their 11 players who saw the court finishing in double figures, led by 18 points from Bam Adebayo on eight-of-10 shooting. Team USA’s bench was particularly helpful, too, with the six non-starters combining to score 66 of the squad’s 103 points.

After the game, the discussion surrounding Team USA was just as much about who didn’t play than who did.

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Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, was the only American player not to log at least one minute in the victory against South Sudan, with coach Steve Kerr instead leaning on Adebayo and Anthony Davis down low. Each of Embiid’s 11 teammates played at least eight minutes.

Here’s more on why Embiid didn’t play:

Why didn’t Joel Embiid play for Team USA vs South Sudan?

After the game, Kerr said that Embiid didn’t play against South Sudan because the coach wanted Team USA to match up more effectively with South Sudan’s team speed, according to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post.

Kerr added that he’s planning on starting Embiid in the Americans’ group play finale Friday against Puerto Rico, along with LeBron James, Steph Curry, Devin Booker and Jrue Holiday.

Steve Kerr said he Joel Embiid received DNP-CD against South Sudan because USA wanted to better match up with their team speed.
- Kerr will start LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Embiid versus Puerto Rico on Friday.
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 31, 2024

"I don’t read social media," Kerr said when discussing stars who haven't played in certain matchups at the Paris Games, according to Golliver. 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."

Though it had a much easier time Wednesday, Team USA struggled with South Sudan in a July 20 pre-Olympics exhibition in London, with the Americans needing a game-winning shot attempt from Carlik Jones to go awry to hold on for a 101-100 victory.

Embiid started and played 18 minutes in the win, scoring 14 points on five-of-six shooting and pulling down seven rebounds. Team USA outscored South Sudan by 15 points in the time Embiid was on the court.

South Sudan made 14 3-pointers on 33 attempts in the exhibition, something Kerr noted when discussing its team speed.

Embiid’s absence came three days after Kerr did not play either Jayson Tatum or Tyrese Haliburton in Team USA’s 110-84 win against Serbia in their Olympic opener.

Though such well-known players failing to see the floor, even on a team featuring some of the biggest basketball stars in the world, has raised questions for fans watching the games, at least one prominent player on Team USA doesn’t see it as an issue.

"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,” Kevin Durant said after the South Sudan win, according to Golliver. “They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly."

USA Basketball's Kevin Durant on the DNP-CDs for Jayson Tatum & Joel Embiid: "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. They didn’t complain. We had guys who stepped up and filled those roles perfectly."
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 31, 2024