Joel Embiid didn’t play in US men’s basketball’s Olympic win over South Sudan

Team USA secured their second consecutive win in the 2024 Summer Olympics competition on Wednesday, although they did so without the presence of one of their star players.

Joel Embiid, the center for the 76ers, did not play the entire game during the team’s 103-86 victory over South Sudan, as head coach Steve Kerr made the decision to keep him off the court.

Coach Kerr explained to reporters after the game that he opted for faster options to match up against the quicker opponent.

Even without Embiid, Team USA relied on Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt. Davis started and scored eight points in 19 minutes, while Adebayo came off the bench to contribute a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes.

Other key performances included 14 points from Kevin Durant, 13 from Anthony Edwards, and 12 from LeBron James as the team secured their second consecutive win by a margin of 16 points or more.

Embiid’s first official Olympic game saw him start and score four points in just over 11 minutes of play.

NBA fans expressed their surprise and humor at Embiid’s absence from the game, with some sharing videos of people cleaning courts and joking about the need for better hydration for the two-time scoring champion.

The starting lineup saw the addition of Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, who scored four points in 17 minutes after missing the first game against Serbia.

Coach Kerr seems to be following a similar path to playing time for another Eastern Conference standout as he announced that the starting lineup against Puerto Rico will feature Embiid, James, Curry, Holiday, and Booker.

Embiid, who won the MVP in 2022-23, had a challenging season due to knee injuries but still managed to make his seventh All-Star team and put up impressive stats.

Despite Embiid’s absence for a significant part of the season, the Sixers finished with a 47-35 record before losing to the Knicks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Coach Kerr is aiming to lead Team USA to their fifth consecutive gold medal.

Team USA will continue their campaign in Paris on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. ET against Puerto Rico in their final group-stage game.