After US coach Steve Kerr called himself a “fool” for not using Jayson Tatum in the Olympic opener against Serbia, he gave another player zero playing time.
This guy was the NBA MVP.
Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid started against Serbia but was replaced by Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis in Wednesday’s 103-86 win over South Sudan in Paris.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE FOXNEWS.COM
United States National Team player Joel Embiid warms up before the Paris Olympic Games Group C match against Serbia at Stade Pierre Mauroy on July 28, 2024 in Lille, France. (Katherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
He may have started the game on the bench, but Embiid will undoubtedly check in at some point, right? Wrong.
Embiid was the only U.S. player not given any playing time, not even in the first half, in a friendly against South Sudan this month that tormented the Stars and Stripes.
Embiid, who opted to play for the United States despite being eligible for France and his native Cameroon, remained expressionless on the U.S. bench throughout the game as the broadcast resumed.
Instead of replacing Davis off the bench, Kerr replaced him with Bam Adebayo, who played 21 minutes and led the nation with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting to also add seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
USA Basketball coach Steve Kerr criticizes not using Jayson Tatum in Olympic opening game: ‘It was stupid’
Davis played 19 minutes and finished with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal.
Embiid was the NBA’s leading scorer last season, averaging 33 points per game for the 76ers, but struggled in the season opener against Serbia, shooting just 2-of-5 from the field, scoring 4 points and 0-of-3 from the free throw line in just 11 minutes of play, as well as grabbing just 2 rebounds.
Kerr said after the game that South Sudan’s speed was the reason he benched Embiid and that he thought Davis and Adebayo were better suited against South Sudan, and that he expects Embiid to start in Friday’s game against Puerto Rico.
United States National Team player Joel Embiid is seen before a match against Serbia on July 28, 2024. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Tatum was the outcast in the U.S. team’s season opener, sparking a social media furor over the Boston Celtics star’s lack of playing time, but as Kerr said, he earned playing time in this game as one of the starting five.
But Tatum didn’t have much of a impact in the 17 minutes he was on the court, finishing with just four points on 2-of-4 shooting, five rebounds and two assists.
But it’s clear that coaching the 12 players Kerr brought to Paris for the Summer Olympics will be a tall order. Not every player gets playing time on the court in an NBA game, and the same can be said for an Olympic gold medal game.
Meanwhile, Kerr and his coaching staff build lineups based on matchups, and they clearly viewed Davis and Adebayo as better suited centers in this game against South Sudan.
But look at the score in the U.S. national team’s 101-100 win over South Sudan this month, where Embiid finished with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, 4-of-6 3-pointers, seven rebounds and two assists, and was a plus-15 when he was on the court.
United States National Team player Joel Embiid is seen before a match against Serbia on July 28, 2024. (Garrett Elwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Either way, after what happened with Tatum in the last game, jokes were flying around on social media about Embiid sitting on the bench for the entire game.
Click here to get the FOX News app
With the games still to come, someone is bound to be left out, but Kerr’s selection of Tatum, a three-time All-NBA First Team selection over the past three seasons, and Embiid, a former MVP, was an interesting choice for the Olympic opening game.
Follow Fox News Digital X’s sports coverage subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
