Initially, it was hard to spot an upside of Joel Embiid, the 2023 MVP being a part of Team USA. The seven-foot basketball phantom struggled in exhibition games and looked rusty. Likewise, the crowd wasn’t pleased, claiming if still injured, Embiid shouldn’t be a part of the team. However, in the games in London, ‘The Process’ began to rise once again. Embiid looked fluent and unflappable. But just how crucial could he be in a team full of basketball greats?

Apparently, Team USA’s gold medal aspirations could hinge all upon Joel Embiid having a stellar Paris Olympics. At least that’s what Brian Windhorst feels who defended the Sixers ace from recent criticism, pointing out the vital role he will play against taller lineups such as France and Serbia, who the USA plays on Sunday.

“Against teams that have huge size like Nikola Jokic and the French who have Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, he’s going to be extremely important for the Americans. The difference between the Americans winning the gold or not could end up being Joel Embiid. This is not a luxury player. This is a necessity player… So Joel playing should not be considered, you know, something to be criticized. It should be considered something to be applauded. And I’m not so sure why it defaults to the criticism. And I guess maybe that’s one of the reasons why he feels that he’s hated,” Windhorst said.

It was only recently that The Process expressed the feeling of being the “most hated guy in the league” on The Check Ball Show and he said that he didn’t understand the reasons behind it. Over the course of his career, Embiid has had to battle severe injuries regularly. But those concerns are always going to stay by Embiid as Windhorst warned everyone. The revolutionary center will never be risk-free from injuries, but his dependability on the basketball court is simply too great to exclude.

Even when he arrived for the Team USA training camp, Embiid had a brace around his left knee, which he re-injured during the postseason. The bothersome injury did have a detrimental effect on Joel Embiid. In the first few games, the usually sharp center looked in discomfort and was unable to fully utilize his advantages. However, with his legs well-oiled, he is confident in his own skills.

Joel Embiid is expecting to play like an MVP

After a difficult Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi trip, Joel Embiid finally showed his true, imposing nature in London. In the nail-biting win against South Sudan, while he did leak turnovers, he added 14 points on 5 for 6 shooting. Then in the fightback victory against Germany, Embiid stuffed the stat sheet accumulating 15 points, 8 rebounds, five assists, and just one turnover.

After the game, rejuvenated with confidence, Embiid explained the slow start to his USA career and what the fans can expect from him at the Olympics. “People who watch me know that every season know that it takes me a couple of games to get going and this is no different. That’s the reason we’ve got preseason games. I feel like myself and I’m going to keep going and I’m going to be playing at that MVP level I’ve played for the last five or six seasons,” he told Windhorst.

The first test will come against Nikola Jokic and Serbia. Over the past three years, The Process and the Joker have been feuding for the title of being the best player on the planet. In the exhibition games, the Sixers star couldn’t dampen Jokic, but Serbia didn’t get to play much alluding to the USA’s lop-sided win.

However, in Lillie, Serbia won’t admit defeat so easily. Against one of the physical lineups, the presence of Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Bam Adebayo could make or break the chances of Team USA. All answers will be received on Sunday. And all eyes will be on the matchup between ‘villain’ Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.