Apart from France winning Gold, the only thing the Paris Olympics home crowd wants is to vocally lynch Joel Embiid, a factual statement based on recent interactions between the two. To their surprise, The Process presented them with that opportunity even before the ball bounced in the Group C game between Team USA and South Sudan. Embiid came out to the court an hour before the game, unexpectedly waving at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy crowd.

Steph Curry and some of his Team USA mates joined in to wind up the fans even further but to Anthony Edwards, it made no sense. Why are they booing? What do these guys want? These were the questions on Ant-Man’s mind and he made sure to make his feelings public after the game. In his confusion, he even dragged his Minnesota pal Rudy Gobert into the fray.

In a post-game interview, Edwards said, “I don’t know what is going on. I don’t know why he gets booed all the time,” via BasketNews. Highlighting his T’Wolves teammate Rudy Gobert, the youngster jokingly added, “But you got Wemby and Rudy; why would he play with y’all? Wemby and Rudy, what more do y’all want? You want three 7-footers?”

​Les Bleus already boast an impressive squad filled with NBA talents with DPOY Rudy Gobert and ROTY Victor Wembanyama being the prominent duo in the frontcourt. Their head coach has also been quite vocal while praising Wemby. After his overtime double-double against Japan, Vincent Collet admitted, “He showed the maturity and mentality of a champion.” So, does that team really need another talisman?

Having Joel Embiid would’ve undeniably given them more quality at both ends of the court. So probably, Team USA dodged a bullet thanks to the C’s decision to opt for LeBron James and Co., which is the ultimate reason for the passionate jeering from the Lillois crowd.

But Steve Kerr turned out to be a party spoiler for the live attendance. He not only benched Joel Embiid but also kept him from playing a single second in the game, essentially taking away their chance to continue the game of stones. The next question in anyone’s mind would be, why, so here’s your answer.

Steve Kerr clarifies his Joel Embiid shocker

Coming into the Paris Olympics, Joel Embiid was one of the three nailed-on options for Steve Kerr. The center remained a constant feature in Team USA’s exhibitions and that continued in the first game of the tournament.  The Process was surprisingly kept on the bench in the second game against South Sudan and Kerr’s explanation doesn’t make the decision surprising anymore. “This is the fastest team in the tournament we’re going to play. We wanted to match up,” Kerr explained his decision to DNP-CD Embiid.

“They made 14 threes against us in London. The whole game today was going to be about switching and staying in front of people,” the HC elaborated. The trick certainly worked as Team USA made light work of the Sudanese swingmen with a 103-86 win.

This win made sure Team USA would be a part of the quarter-finals. And for Joel Embiid, there’s always a next time as he will play in the next game. “Kerr will start LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Embiid versus Puerto Rico on Friday,” a Ben Golliver report concluded.

What is your version of Team USA’s next lineup? Let us know in the comments below.

And to binge more interesting stories, watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where the prodigy puts Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr under the pump with loaded NBA questions and more in this video below.