Despite Team USA steamrolling Serbia in the Group Phase of the Paris Olympics, Joel Embiid continues to come under fire. Playing just 11 minutes, Embiid tallied four points, two rebounds and one block on 2-5 shooting from the floor. He also had Team USA’s only negative plus-minus (-8).
It’s worth noting that Bam Adebayo went 2-6 from the floor and Anthony Davis went 0-2 in the first half. Furthermore, neither of them blocked a shot, their interior defense was lacking against Serbia off paper as well. Nonetheless, all eyes are trained on Embiid, with Team USA fans having as much vitriol for him as France’s.
How To Solve Team USA’s Joel Embiid Problem
The primary issue is that Embiid is being used as a decoy offensively.
MVDecoy?
Reminiscent of Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers use of Hall of Fame shooting guard Ray Allen in their time with the Boston Celtics, Embiid is often orbiting the 3-point arc, waiting for passes that never come. It can be argued that because Team USA needs to generate ball-movement, passing up the first open look isn’t necessarily a problem. However, the purpose of ball-movement isn’t just to say the ball moved from side to side. It’s also to improve the quality of shot-attempts and energize the offense by keeping multiple players involved. When Embiid is above the break with his hands outstretched but frozen out of the offense is counterproductive.
Over the past four seasons, the 2023 NBA MVP has made 36.4 percent of his 3-point attempts. His efficiency from deep has mirrored that of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, a three-time NBA MVP. With Embiid making a career-high 38.8 percent of his 3s last season, it’s simply counterintuitive to not find him beyond the arc.
His Size Is Strength
It’s not just Embiid’s catch-and-shoot opportunities that are being missed. Despite being 7-foot-0 and 280 pounds, Team USA hasn’t made a consistent effort to find him around the rim.
In the NBA, Embiid isn’t necessarily used like a traditional rim-runner. Indeed, in many ways, he plays like a face-up power forward on offense. Nonetheless, last season, Embiid averaged 5.0 possessions per game as a pick-and-roll roll man (ranked 3rd in the NBA). As one might expect with his size and touch, he scored 1.11 points per possession on these attempts. That’s not even his bread and butter though. A powerful low-post scorer, Embiid averaged 1.14 points per possession on post ups last season, tied with Jokic.
As the primary playmaker, the responsibility of finding Embiid falls on LeBron James. Whether it’s he believes he simply has better chemistry with Davis or is bothered by Embiid’s suggestion that he’s no longer as dominant as he used to be, his job as Captain America is to properly lead his troops. That doesn’t include freezing out Embiid, as James seemed to do against Serbia on Sunday.
With that said, Team USA should consider replacing Devin Booker with Tyrese Haliburton in the starting lineup. Of course, Kevin Durant deserves the promotion more than any player. However, he’s a mercenary off the bench, and may be comfortable being a focal point offensively. Furthermore, while Durant’s offensive game doesn’t exactly have weaknesses, his passing ability is the weakest area of his offense.
Yet, even with James operating as a point-forward, Haliburton can impact the game with his playmaking. A true floor general, his court vision and passing prowess would help Embiid be more involved offensively. Just consider that last season, 17.3 percent of his passes went to center Myles Turner; a team-high.
Getting Defensive
At the other end, fans watch with bated breath in hopes that Embiid will produce a viral lowlight. Yet, a careful examination of his defense answers the question of why he’s starting despite not yet clicking with the first unit. Due to his size and reputation as a fearsome shot-blocker, Team USA’s opponents prefer not to attack the paint when he’s on the court. This is enhanced by the FIBA rules that allow defenders to stay in the paint for longer than three seconds.
Embiid’s matchups against Jokic will always draw plenty of attention. With that being said, the Big Joker’s tricks have often given him an advantage. Similar to when he plays against four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, Jokic is supremely aware of how to get Embiid off-balance with his footwork. Nonetheless, if Jokic is as good as people believe, this isn’t necessarily an indictment of Embiid as much as further evidence of Jokic’s greatness.
Embiid could stand to improve his defensive activity, as he’s often standing sentinel in the paint. Still, the big fella is patrolling the middle pretty well when he’s on the court.
