In a previous Olympic men's basketball group stage Group C match, the United States team defeated Serbia 110-84 to win the opening game of the Olympic Games.
Although the United States won a complete game, the team's starting center Joel Embiid was very disappointing. Embiid played 11 minutes and 21 seconds in the game, shooting 2-of-5 from the field, 0-of-1 from beyond the three-point line, and 0-of-3 from the free throw line, with only 4 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block, as well as 3 fouls and 2 turnovers, and the plus/minus was also as low as -8. It is worth mentioning that Embiid is also the only player on the United States team with a negative plus/minus, which can also show how bad the team's situation is when he is on the court. Embiid is completely out of the team's system on the offensive end, and every time he handles the ball, it's scary. In addition, Embiid has no idea what he is doing on the defensive end, and his performance on the defensive end can also be described as a mess. Embiid, the top center in the NBA, doesn't seem to know how to play in the FIBA arena, his strengths can't be played at all, and his weaknesses are completely magnified. Fortunately, his playing time is very limited, otherwise the United States team may not have won this game so smoothly.
Embiid played a total of 39 games for the team in the NBA regular season last season, averaging 33.6 minutes per game, averaging 34.7 points, 11 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.7 blocks, 3.9 turnovers and 2.9 fouls while shooting 52.9% from the field, 38.8% from three-point range and 88.3% from the free throw line. In the playoffs, Embiid played a total of 6 games for the team, averaging 41.4 minutes per game, averaging 33 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, as well as 4.2 turnovers and 3.3 fouls, shooting 44.4% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range, and 85.9% from the free throw line. Embiid's performance in the NBA is worthy of recognition in any way, his ability on the offensive end is outstanding, and he is also the most scoring interior player in NBA history.
However, when it comes to FIBA, the situation seems to have completely changed. In fact, this game is not the first time Embiid has played such a performance. In the previous warm-up games, Embiid's condition was also not ideal, and he was unable to give full play to his talents on the offensive end and his physical talents. Although he has been playing the role of starting for the United States team, everyone can see that he is completely a drag on the team when he is on the field. In the next games, the United States team will also face a more serious test, if they can not properly handle Embiid's use problems, his problems on the court will be further amplified, and the United States team may not be as smooth as this game.