ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — USA coach Steve Kerr didn’t commit to Joel Embiid as his starting center for the Olympics when given the chance Monday, saying instead the lineup is “still a work in progress.”
Some context is needed. Embiid’s backup in Team USA’s two exhibition games, Anthony Davis, has played like Wilt Chamberlain, including in the Americans’ 98-92 win over Australia on Monday.
Embiid, meanwhile, has not looked like his best self, although he showed marked improvement against the Aussies over what he showed last week against Canada.
So, Kerr was asked Monday evening at Etihad Arena, by a member of the foreign press, if he was considering starting Davis or, for that matter, Bam Adebayo over Embiid, given Embiid’s struggles in the early part of this Olympic exhibition season.
“These next few games, I’m going to continue to experiment with the lineups,” Kerr said. “Joel is getting better and better every day. It usually takes big guys a little bit longer to get rhythm and flow, but I love Joel, he’s a dominant player, and I think it’s going to be important for us to figure out the best combinations and putting the right people together, and that’s still a work in progress.”
Kerr has been consistent on his lineups, insofar as during the exhibition season, they would be inconsistent. Through two games, Embiid, LeBron James and Stephen Curry have started twice.
Embiid played through a surgically repaired knee during the NBA playoffs. He appears to be trying to play his way back into shape with Team USA, and against Canada last week, he scored 5 points with six rebounds and fouled out in the third quarter. Embiid scored 10 points with five rebounds against Australia but committed three turnovers.
Davis, on the other hand, has posted double-doubles in both games, including a 17-point, 14-rebound banger against Australia. Davis and Anthony Edwards are tied for the team lead in scoring, and Davis has also been dominant defensively. Team USA loves playing Davis and Adebayo together on the second unit — which has been the stronger of the two units through two games.
The American starters have spent considerable time in these games trying to establish Embiid on offense — not a bad idea for a 7-footer who averaged nearly 35 points per game for the Philadelphia 76ers last season with a 38.8 3-point percentage. But the force-feeding has led to awkward possessions, and Embiid plays at a different speed than James, Curry and Edwards, who scored 14 points as a starter against Australia.
“Obviously, he demands a lot of attention, so you have to utilize that and get him in position,” Curry said of Embiid. “We still have to figure out our spacing around him to give him looks, whether he’s trying to score or whether he kicks it out. And then if he’s not in the post, we’re trying to figure out different looks and the chemistry of that group. So I think we got a little bit better today, and we got three more games to get even better with it and utilize the threat of everything he can do and everybody else out there on the floor.”
No other Olympic team should be able to match the Americans’ depth in general, and then for a player of Davis’ size and skill to come off the bench should create noticeable advantages for the U.S. The injury issues the Americans have dealt with — Embiid being limited at practice, Kawhi Leonard’s knee being so sore he was sent home, and Jayson Tatum missing the first few days of camp — forced the team into looking at pairing Davis with Adebayo.
Through two games, Joel Embiid has struggled. Steve Kerr hasn’t yet committed to the 2022-23 NBA MVP being in the starting lineup for the Olympics. (Candice Ward / USA Today)
Decision-makers are thrilled with the result so far. In both games, the U.S. bench has, collectively, outplayed the starters. One of the constants has been the Davis-Adebayo pairing on the second unit.
“AD with anybody is good,” Kerr said.
For what it’s worth, Davis said he and Adebayo are “still trying to figure it out” and “get in each other’s way” on occasion — which leads to missed defensive assignments or turnovers. They could be an even more formidable pairing with time. Davis also logged minutes with the starters Monday, as Kerr inserted him for Embiid with the rest of the starters on the floor in the third quarter.
Davis averaged nearly 25 points for the Lakers last season, so he is a legitimate scoring threat. But if he were to be on the court with James, Curry, Edwards and whoever is starting on the wing, on this particular team, Davis could play without any real role on offense. Kerr would not have to call plays for him; his points could come off the offensive glass if necessary.
The Americans do not feel using Embiid like that — as a defensive anchor and grunt on offense — is the right choice. They’ve spent both exhibition games looking for him first and foremost. There are still three warmups before the Americans’ first Olympic game against Serbia on July 28 (Wednesday’s exhibition in Abu Dhabi is also against Serbia), and it’s conceivable that Embiid will continue to improve and be the fit on Kerr’s starting five that most pundits predicted. The Americans still need to get Kevin Durant (calf strain) onto the court, and Derrick White, the replacement for Leonard, didn’t play against Australia.
But with less than two weeks to go before the Olympics begin, Kerr would not confirm Embiid, an NBA MVP, as a likely starter. It’s a testament to how good Davis has looked and the ongoing process of Embiid trying to round into form.
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(Top photo of Anthony Davis during Monday’s game against Australia: Giuseppe Cacace / AFP via Getty Images)
