At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers has not lived up to the public’s expectations. Despite this, coach Steve Kerr has started him in every game so far. However, in the upcoming rematch against South Sudan on Wednesday, Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers will be starting in place of Embiid. Jayson Tatum from the Boston Celtics, who did not play in the last game, will also be joining the starting lineup.
In their previous encounter, South Sudan came close to causing a major upset in Olympic basketball history. With Kevin Durant back in the lineup, Kerr’s decision to shake up the rotation seems fitting. Durant, a superstar from the Phoenix Suns, is widely recognized as one of the greatest Olympic basketball players of all time.
This adjustment also follows the plea of NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins, who urged Kerr to bench Embiid earlier in the week.
Following a comfortable victory over Serbia on Sunday, Team USA’s starting lineup now includes Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. In the previous game, Embiid was the only player with a negative plus/minus, scoring 4 points and grabbing 2 rebounds on 2 of 5 shooting in just 11 minutes of play.