Tag: Joel Embiid

Why Olympic fans in Paris are likely booing Joel Embiid, explained

They REALLY do not like Joel Embiid in Paris.

If Joel Embiid was expecting a warm welcome from fans at the Paris Olympics, he was probably sorely mistaken.

As Team USA took on Team Serbia in men’s basketball group action on Sunday, Embiid received a rowdy round of boos essentially every time he touched the ball. There are likely two straightforward reasons why the fans in Paris didn’t appreciate the big center.

For one, Embiid famously chose to play for Team USA in these Olympics over Team France. Given the boos, it certainly seems like the French haven’t forgotten his decision. On the other, Embiid and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic have a tremendous individual rivalry stateside. It wouldn’t be a stretch for any Serbians at the arena to voice their support of their fellow countrymen Jokic by booing one of his biggest rivals in the NBA.

Embiid may well get the last laugh here in the form of a gold medal. But it’s not surprising to see him get no love from this international audience.

Anthony Davis (illness) expected to play on Sunday versus Serbia

Even though Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis has been ill lately, he seems to be on track to play in Team USA’s first group play game.

On Sunday, Team USA basketball will officially begin what it hopes will be a successful run at a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal when it faces Serbia in its first game of group play.

That means going up against Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić, who has won three of the last four NBA regular season MVPs.

Team USA faced a challenge in recent days when Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis came down with illnesses. However, Davis seems on track to play on Sunday.

Via ESPN:

“Having the two best big men dealing with illness when facing a three-time NBA MVP isn’t ideal, but that is what Team USA is dealing with as it readies to open Olympic play,” wrote Brian Windhorst.

“Joel Embiid missed practice Saturday with an illness, while coach Steve Kerr said that Anthony Davis had missed practice time over the past several days with illness just ahead of the national team’s opener against Nikola Jokić and Serbia on Sunday.

“Kerr, however, isn’t worried anyone will be forced to miss the game, as Davis was able to practice Saturday.

“‘I’m confident we’ll have everybody ready [Sunday],’ Kerr said.”

Davis, of course, has battled against Jokic in the last two postseasons when his Los Angeles Lakers got ushered out by Jokic’s Nuggets. But it seems he’s looking forward to the matchup.

“Jokic, with what he’s able to do, obviously we know what he does at NBA, but maybe a little bit higher usage in the international game,” said Davis, who was still a little stuffed up. “It’s going to be fun.”

It will not be easy for the United States to claim the gold again, but the squad seems focused and ready to do just that.

ESPN betting analyst says the Ravens are the ’76ers of the NFL’

The Ravens were called the Philadelphia 76ers of the NFL by an analyst

The Baltimore Ravens were an extremely dominant regular season team in 2023 but couldn’t get the job done when it mattered most in the playoffs. Their season came crashing down in their AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and it’s now back to the drawing board for the 2024 season.

On ESPN’s “First Take,” Joe Fortenbaugh put out a take comparing Baltimore to the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. He questioned who’s picking the Ravens in 2024, saying that it’s apparent who quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are after six seasons.

It’s no secret that Jackson has to be a more consistent playoff performer. However, there are plenty of examples of Hall of Fame signal callers winning their first Super Bowl far later into their career than Jackson is now, so there’s plenty of time for the former Louisville star to finish it.

Khaman Maluach gets the better of former NBA MVP Joel Embiid during Team USA exhibition

Khaman Maluach made a handful of impressive plays against Team USA during a Saturday exhibition, but his best came against a former MVP.

Khaman Maluach gained a brief grasp over the basketball world on Saturday afternoon when he and South Sudan nearly upset Team USA.

He put together some impressive highlights, a running dunk in the first quarter and a corner 3-pointer later on, but the biggest feather in his cap came during a quieter basket.

Midway through the second quarter, as South Sudan built a comfortable lead over the United States, Maluach got the ball with former NBA MVP Joel Embiid on him defensively. The future Blue Devil feinted to his right, a jab step to give him some space from Embiid, before burying a long mid-range shot over the Philadelphia 76ers star.

There’s a solid argument to make that Embiid, who took home the prestigious MVP honor just two seasons ago, is the best player on the American team. For a player like Maluach, a presumed 2025 lottery pick viewed as a project, to make a basket over such a professional star feels like a statement about his current ability.

Maluach also mentioned Embiid, along with Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, as players he’s watched since he started playing basketball.

Khaman Maluach talks about playing against his NBA idols during Team USA exhibition

Khaman Maluach, a future Duke Blue Devil, played against some all-time NBA forwards on Saturday, and the fact was not lost on him.

It’s one thing for incoming Duke basketball star [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] to play basketball. It’s another thing entirely to play basketball against players like Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis.

The 7-footer faced off against some of his NBA role models on Saturday when South Sudan played (and nearly beat) Team USA during an exhibition match in London.

Maluach gained even more attention than the projected lottery pick already had, especially after he threw down a dunk in the first quarter and made a corner 3-pointer. After the game, he talked about how hard it was to process that he was playing the sport he loved against players he’d watched for years.

“It was so crazy in the beginning,” Maluach said. “Especially seeing bigs I’ve been watching since I started playing basketball like Joel Embiid, A.D. (Anthony Davis), Bam (Adebayo), matching up with them was just something like I couldn’t imagine…like, ‘Oh, I’m playing against these guys.'”

Maluach did more than just play against them, too, as mentioned earlier. He finished the game with seven points, three rebounds, and a block.

FIBA refs hilariously had no interest in Joel Embiid’s attempt at drawing a foul call on Nikola Jokić

This isn’t the NBA anymore.

On paper, the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team should cruise through the Summer Games in Paris. But the games aren’t played on paper, and the international game is decidedly different from the NBA. That includes how the games are officiated.

That’s part of the adjustment that comes with these pre-Olympic showcase exhibitions for the USABMNT. And for Joel Embiid, the officiating will take some getting used to.

Last season, Embiid averaged 11.6 free-throw attempts per game, which would have put him atop the NBA if he qualified statistically. And to Embiid’s credit, he knows how to work NBA officiating in his own favor. That didn’t exactly work in Wednesday’s showcase matchup with Serbia as Embiid tried to get a soft foul called on Nikola Jokić. FIBA refs were having none of it.

Rather than going up towards the basket, Embiid looked to initiate contact with Jokić before moving into his actual shot attempt.

The ref was not falling for that at all. He just stood there as Embiid essentially wasted a scoring opportunity.

Fans actually enjoyed seeing how FIBA refs didn’t fall for the foul baiting.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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Caleb Martin gives his thoughts on new Sixers teammate Joel Embiid

Addition Caleb Martin gives his thoughts on new Philadelphia 76ers teammate Joel Embiid.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been an active team in the offseason as team president Daryl Morey has taken advantage of the cap space to help push the Sixers into serious contention in the East.

Morey landed Paul George to form an elite trio of George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers were also able to bring in proven role players such as Andre Drummond, Caleb Martin, and Eric Gordon to put around those three stars.

Martin, especially, has had a ton of success with the Miami Heat in the past. He will look to help the Sixers finally get over the hump and is looking forward to playing with Embiid in Philadelphia.

While talking with ESPN during their broadcast of Tuesday’s summer league matchup between the Sixers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Martin was asked which player he’s excited to play with:

Two of those guys, obviously, PG and Embiid have been some very tough covers in the past so I think having somebody with Embiid’s capabilities on that side of the ball—to be at that size and get it done and put the ball in the basket like he does, I just think it enhances the coverages and what we’re trying to do and get a lot of guys really good looks.

Embiid is a willing passer and coach Nick Nurse has unlocked that part of his game. He averaged 5.6 assists per game in the 2023-24 season and a guy like Martin who always seems to be in the right spots on the offensive end should benefit from playing with a guy like him.

Should Anthony Davis start over Joel Embiid for Team USA?

Perhaps it is time for Team USA to move Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis into its starting five.

Team USA basketball seems sufficiently stocked to make a run at an Olympic gold medal this summer after it failed to even win a bronze medal in last summer’s FIBA World Cup. It didn’t exactly have its best roster last summer, but now, it has a star-studded one that some feel rivals the 2008 “Redeem Team” or even the 1992 Dream Team.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are two big reasons the United States should have a great chance at bringing home the gold just weeks from now. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar duo has looked excellent in two exhibition games so far, and the squad as a whole seems to be inching toward being ready for real competition.

In Monday’s win over Australia, Davis had 17 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots, leading Team USA in all three categories. He looked a lot like the Davis that has often been dominant for the Lakers, especially this past season when he put together arguably the best season of his life.

As of now, Davis is coming off the bench for head coach Steve Kerr. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is the team’s starter at the 5, but his numbers — 10 points and five rebounds — paled in comparison to Davis’ production.

There is a feeling among fans that Davis should be starting instead of Embiid. There is an argument to be made against making that move, as Davis is 31 years of age and is starting to pile up the mileage. In past years, he has been notoriously injury-prone.

But Embiid is barely younger (he’s 30 years of age) and has a history of knee problems. Perhaps he’s the one who needs to exercise load management more than Davis does.

If Davis does get the starting job once Team USA begins official Olympic competition on July 28, it could perhaps help him get into fantastic shape for the upcoming NBA season. That could perhaps lead to him having another amazing season for a Lakers team that is looking for some way to return to championship contention.

Winning the gold won’t be easy for the United States, and it isn’t exactly a given it will emerge victorious in Paris. Perhaps that is the biggest reason Davis should be moved into the starting lineup, as the rest of the world has definitely caught up to Team USA.

Rockets’ Jock Landale puts up big numbers in USA-Australia exhibition

In a matchup versus recent NBA MVP Joel Embiid, Jock Landale had a massive game in Monday’s USA Basketball exhibition versus Australia.

In a spotlight matchup versus recent NBA MVP Joel Embiid, veteran Houston Rockets center Jock Landale had a massive game in Monday’s USA Basketball exhibition versus Australia.

While playing for Australia, Landale finished with a game-high 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in his 27 minutes, shooting 9-of-12 from the field (75.0%). Though the United States entered the game in Abu Dhabi as a sizable favorite, Landale’s big game played a role in Australia’s closer-than-expected loss, 98-92 (box score).

Embiid tallied a pedestrian 10 points and 5 rebounds in 16 minutes, shooting 3-of-6 overall (50.0%) and 2-of-5 on 3-pointers (40.0%).

Both the Americans and Australians are preparing for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, which begin in late July. Australia is part of Group A in the men’s basketball contest, while the Americans are in Group C. Landale is one of two Houston players currently slated to participating in the Olympics, joining Canada’s Dillon Brooks.

Like Australia, the Canadians are also playing in Group A.

Highlights of Landale’s showdown versus Embiid and the Americans are available below. As of now, Landale projects to be Houston’s third-string center next season behind incumbent starter Alperen Sengun and recent acquisition Steven Adams, though the 28-year-old appears poised to at least make a push for more playing time.

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Steve Kerr addresses possibly moving Joel Embiid to the bench for Team USA

Steve Kerr addresses the idea of moving Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid to the bench for Team USA.

Team USA was able to pick up a 98-92 win over Australia in an exhibition game on Wednesday thanks to some clutch shots late by Tyrese Haliburton. The Americans had a sizeable lead before Australia was able to put on a valiant rally to make Team USA sweat.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid hasn’t had a dominant start to the exhibition schedule for Team USA. He fouled out in the win over Canada on July 10 and only had 10 points in the win over Australia, but he has made an impact with his defensive play and his ability to protect the paint.

Anthony Davis had a huge game for Team USA off the bench going for 17 points and 14 rebounds to go along with two blocks. There is a school of thought that coach Steve Kerr should move Davis into the starting lineup in place of Embiid, but Kerr isn’t ready to make that move just yet.

Kerr told reporters out in Abu Dhabi:

These next few games, I’m going to continue to experiment with the lineups. Joel is getting better and better every day. It usually takes big guys a little bit longer to get rhythm and flow, but I love Joel, he’s a dominant player. I think it’s going to be important for us to figure out the best combinations and putting the right people together and that’s still a work in progress.

Embiid is an elite rim protector with an extremely high basketball IQ. He hasn’t been his normal self just yet, but the FIBA rules are an adjustment for everybody. One has to figure that the big fella will eventually find his rhythm and make a big impact for Team USA during this Olympic run.