Basketball men’s Team USA is on the lookout for Olympic gold for the 17th time to redeem after settling for a bronze in FIBA 2023. The giants of the game like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Anthony Davis are here, yet, the team still has an important starting line-up concern to deal with involving Joel Embiid. On one side, we have head coach Steve Kerr who has confidently outlined, “I do like those three guys together.” But on the flip side, critics have ruled in favor of benching the 7x NBA All-Star, the most recent addition to the list being a senior journalist calling Embiid out as a ‘foul baiting’ machine.

Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill, during the Rich Eisen Show, mentioned how the Philadelphia 76ers star tends to rely on fouls being ruled in his favor. “You can see some of the correlation between how he plays in the playoffs where his numbers drop precipitously, not necessarily this year, but in previous years, it’s because he relies so much on the officiating,” he said.

Evidently, there’s a vast difference between an NBA game and an international game, especially around officiating. Taking this into account, Goodwill mentioned an instance from the latest game against Serbia where Embiid attempted to draw a foul from Nikola Jokic instead of taking a clear path to dunk. In a video that surfaced online, Embiid could be seen falling to the ground and looking toward the referees before getting back up to continue the game. Now, as per many, in an NBA game, the fall would’ve easily garnered a foul call, followed by a free throw line for two shots. But not according to FIBA refs!

According to the senior NBA writer, “The International refs are not going for that. Like they allow a lot more physicality on the post. They allow a lot more physicality on the perimeter. And if you’re someone who is slow and plotting and you are very deliberate in how you make decisions. He’s not a quick twitch sort of guy. He doesn’t make quick decisions.” He further criticized the 30-year-old Cameroonian player and backed Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo instead.

“I don’t think that is built for Steve Kerr’s offense. That’s not built for an offense where you’re playing next to Stephen Curry and LeBron James and Anthony Edwards and possibly Kevin Durant. Like you need to be able to move quickly and when you’re seeing in Bam and what you’re seeing in Anthony Davis…those two dudes are monsters and offensively they make quick decisions so they’re a better fit for international play,” Goodwill concluded.

Notably, the Cameroonian center opted to play for Team USA despite having French citizenship. Steve Kerr had the easiest decision to make, placing the former MVP in the starting lineup. While other stars found their rhythm in the last three games, Embiid continued to struggle. In these games, he averaged around 7 points per game and committed 9 turnovers. Following this underwhelming performance, Kerr even hinted at a replacement.

Will Steve Kerr keep Joel Embiid in the starting line-up?

With Kevin Durant yet to play a game for the team, Steve Kerr faces an important decision. Durant, the scoring leader of Team USA, will ultimately find a spot in the starting lineup, likely pushing Jayson Tatum to the second unit. Although this may seem like an easy decision, Kerr must consider the former MVP’s place, especially when second-unit players Davis and Adebayo have dominated both ends of the court.

Notably, AD, who plays center for the second unit, has recorded 12 blocks in the three games, and Adebayo’s impressive “Splash Brother” cameo has garnered a lot of attention. Amid this situation, Steve Kerr said, “These next few games, I’m going to continue experimenting with the lineup… Joel is getting better and better every day. Usually, it takes big guys a little longer to get rhythm and flow. But I love Joel. He’s a dominant player.”

Kerr also stressed that the team might have an alternate starting lineup in the upcoming two games. In his statement after July 16’s 98-92 pre-Olympic exhibition win against Australia, said, “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.”

However, after the team’s win against Serbia 105-79 on July 17, Kerr addressed the situation again, with a different take. “I like those three guys in the starting lineup,” the 58-year-old coach said, about Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Joel Embiid. “We’ve been looking at other guys around them. We obviously have a lot of great options, but I do like those three.”

Will Kerr push Embiid to the bench? Let us know in the comments below.