After Tatum and Haliburton were left out of the first game against Serbia, the 2023 MVP Joel Embiid was benched for 40 minutes against South Sudan, making him the only player not to enter the second match.

Joel Embiid was benched for 40 minutes against South Sudan, making him the only player not to enter the second match of the tournament which Team USA won.

Coach Steve Kerr explained the decision as a matter of matchups and announced that Embiid will be back in the starting lineup against Puerto Rico.

Remembering what he saw about ten days ago in London, Coach Steve Kerr decided to significantly change his rotation for the second game of Group C at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games against South Sudan.

LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Devin Booker started the game as usual, but instead of Jrue Holiday and Joel Embiid, Kerr chose Jayson Tatum (who sat out the opening game against Serbia) and Anthony Davis (consistently one of the top performers in this French campaign).

While Jrue Holiday later joined the second unit and Tyrese Haliburton saw his first minutes on the Olympic court, 2023 MVP Joel Embiid remained benched for the full 40 minutes. The Philadelphia 76ers star was booed loudly by the French fans present, following his decision to decline playing for the French national team in favor of Team USA.

Embiid will be back in the starting lineup against Puerto Rico

Coach Kerr justified the decision by explaining he wanted to better match the speed of the South Sudanese team, using either Davis or Adebayo one at a time since their combination had worked well so far.

This tactical move allowed Team USA to win the game comfortably and secure a spot in the quarterfinals in Paris. However, there is still one more game to play against Puerto Rico. Kerr has already announced that he will return to his starting lineup, putting Embiid and Holiday back on the court from the beginning and reverting to the usual rotation.

We’ll see if Tatum and Haliburton will remain on the bench or if Kerr will use all 12 players in a game that does not affect the standings, as Team USA has already secured first place.