After Team USA’s 4th exhibition game, it is clear that the 2024 Paris Olympics won’t be as easy as anticipated. South Sudan gave Team USA a tough match, and if not for LeBron James, the Dream Team 2.0 might have entered the Olympics with a loss. Some of these struggles can be attributed to the different rules in FIBA competitions, and Joel Embiid learned the hard way that his NBA flopping and foul-baiting tactics wouldn’t work here.

Team USA narrowly escaping South Sudan shows that their Group C fixtures hold more challenges than expected. To overcome these, the team needs collective improvement, with Joel Embiid being the top priority. This was discussed in the Off Guard podcast on Ringer NBA, where Austin Rivers talked about Embiid’s underwhelming performances in the exhibition games.

Rivers’ podcast co-host, Pausha Haghighi, noted that Embiid might not be in peak condition. Coming off a season where he had to recover from meniscus surgery and Bell’s Palsy, this could explain his subpar performance. “He was coming off a big injury, and the playoffs he was dragging a little bit in the playoffs..It looks like he’s kinda foul-baiting James Harden type of thing that doesn’t work as a couple,” Haghighi said. Cutting him short, Rivers replied, “Viral clips of him trying to do that, and the FIBA doesn’t they don’t do that.” 

Rivers added, “So he’ll get out of that quick. I think because he’s tried and a couple of them have been so blatant, and the ref just looks at him, I think even he knows, like, alright. We’re gonna have to figure it (out),” Rivers added. Pointing out the deep tool of weapons at Embiid’s disposal the former Timberwolves guard said, “Well, he has a plethora of other Right. Tools he can use. The guys I do believe when Joel figures this out in the next game or 2, he is going to absolutely dominate. I’m telling you.” If the plans with Embiid fail, Team USA has a backup plan. Pointing that out, Rivers added, “Listen, we have insurance. We have Anthony Davis who’s gonna end up playing more minutes than Joel probably anyway. They’re gonna finish games with Anthony Davis.”

This was evident against South Sudan, where Davis came off the bench to score 15 points and grab 11 rebounds. Embiid scored 14 but seemed out of place, although he sees himself as one of the best.

Joel Embiid believes he’d be in GOAT conversation if not for injuries

With the NBA world lambasting Embiid, the 7-footer opened up about his true feelings in a recent interview with the NY Times. Embiid discussed multiple facets of the game, one of which was his own consideration of being in the GOAT debate. “I think I’m that talented. Obviously, you need to win championships and to win championships you need other guys. You can’t do it by yourself. I want to win so bad. But if you don’t, you just got to understand that as long as you care about the right stuff, if it doesn’t happen, maybe it wasn’t meant to happen,” Embiid told David Marchese. “If you think about it, the thing that stopped me all these years is just freak injuries. Every single playoffs, regular season, people falling on my knee or breaking my face—twice. It’s always freak injuries at the wrong time.”

Embiid faced similar issues this season with his aforementioned meniscus surgery and a somewhat rushed return to the court just before the playoffs. It didn’t help Embiid’s or the Sixers’ cause as they crashed out against the Knicks in round one. Further delving into the matter, Embiid added, “You think about what I’ve been able to accomplish and what has been taken away because of injuries. There’s a lot of what-ifs, but if you combine collectively and individually, you can make the case of being up there (in GOAT debate).” His claim could be disputed by comparing him to the other big men of the game, but that shouldn’t be his primary concern. With Team USA set to take the court against Germany, a marked improvement is what everyone seeks.