The recent Team USA matchup against Serbia served as an early indication of how the star-filled roster would fare in the future. It also allowed Joel Embiid to get into a highly anticipated matchup against Nikola Jokić, the player with whom he allegedly had shared an unspoken rivalry. Any fans who wanted an answer to the Nikola Jokic-Joel Embiid debate found it well enough once the minutes clocked down, as the American Center found it hard to put up a memorable performance. The review of his performance from across the pond has been lukewarm, with two renowned analysts making their disdain for the player known.

In a recent segment of his long-running show, sports media personality Colin Cowherd touched base on the USA-Serbia matchup alongside co-host John Middlekauff. Having observed Joel Embiid’s performance during the game, and having observed the boos and jeers he was met with, neither of the duo was impressed.

On the other hand, they had nothing but praise for Nikola Jokić, making use of phrases like “underrated” and “one of the most remarkable athletes” in their description of the player. As a result, they believed that the Jokic-Embiid debate doesn’t even compare to anything.

“This conversation with Embiid, let’s just……..what are we even talking about? Like, he’s closer to the Paul Georges and the guys in the team and the 20s than he is to the big dogs. Like him and Jokic, it’s like Mahomes and Tua or something,” said John Middlekauff. “I mean, when you really break it down, nobody cares about scoring 70 points against the Kings in January. It’s like James Harden, nobody cares.”

The “Tua” was a reference to NFL Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. While Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes has had an impressive record on the field, allowing him to bag 3 Super Bowl championships, 3 Super Bowl MVP titles, and 2 NFL MVP titles, the same cannot be said about the Miami Dolphins player.

Despite playing over 11 minutes during the matchup against Serbia, Joel Embiid could only add 4 points to the overall score. This was due to the player going 2-5 with his field goals, 0-1 with his three-pointers, and 0-3 with his free throws. On the other hand, Nikola Jokić led the offensive effort for Serbia, dropping 20 points within 31 minutes by going 8-15 with his field goals, 1-6 with his three-pointers, and 3-4 with his free throws.

While some might attribute this failure to the boos that the Embiid kept receiving from the French crowd over an alleged broken promise, the player’s poor performances have been a recurring theme since the exhibition games. Fortunately, the 21 and 23 points that LeBron James and Kevin Durant added respectively helped to cover up the player’s lapses, allowing him and the roster to live and fight another day.

Joel Embiid was initially prepared to take on Serbia: “I don’t care about (Nikola) Jokic”

A matchup between Jokić and Embiid has always been one to watch out for. As both Centers competed against each other for the MVP title back in 2023, along with the fact that the Nuggets hold a 6-4 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers, fans have been coaxing the duo into a rivalry for some time now.

Both Jokic and Embiid have downplayed the same, with the latter claiming “We just want to play basketball and win some games’ and so he deserved it.” However, while that feeling may have existed on the international stage as well, Joel Embiid still wanted to win.

In an interview with Denver Post reporter Troy Renck in early July, the 30-year-old discussed preparing for the now-commenced Olympics. When the question came up about his ‘alleged’ rivalry with Jokić and going up against Serbia, Embiid admitted, “I don’t care about (Nikola) Jokić. I’m playing for my national team. It’s all about focusing on ourselves and trying to make sure everybody’s on the same page. When we get there, we’ve got to know what we got to focus on. Right now, it’s just about finding ways to get better every single day.”

While Embiid possessed some praiseworthy confidence in the early days, his debut performances with Team USA cannot reflect that. Fortunately, he isn’t the only star player on the roster who is struggling. With the rest of the tournament still lying ahead, the 7-foot center may yet redeem himself.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.