Joel Embiid finally showed his value to USA Basketball against Nikola Jokić, Serbia-ZoomTech News

Yaron Weitzman

FOX Sports activities NBA Author

Watch Joel Embiid play sufficient and his feelings turn into simple to learn. If he is tossing lazy passes, and ambling round with a stoic face, and collapsing onto the ground each 5 minutes, effectively, you possibly can assume he is checked out. That occurs, typically, with him — greater than it ought to.

However these lows are what make his highs so energizing. In these uncommon moments, when he is pounding his chest and waving his arms and, effectively, chopping his crotch, you possibly can really feel the arrogance oozing out of him. It is contagious, as a result of Embiid at his greatest is pretty much as good as anybody, and when he is feeling like the most effective, you possibly can ensure that everybody — on the court docket, within the stands, watching on TV — shall be made conscious.

Getting into Group USA’s semifinal matchup with Serbia on Thursday, we had but to see that model of Embiid. To that time, his Olympics debut had been largely a catastrophe. He’d performed effectively within the quarterfinals towards Brazil, however earlier than that his play had many followers and analysts clamoring for his elimination from the rotation. Which head coach Steve Kerr did towards South Sudan through the pool-play spherical. Previous to Thursday, probably the most notable factor Embiid had carried out all match was egg on boos raining from French followers, livid over his determination to play for america as a substitute of representing France.

Then got here Serbia, which means Nikola Jokić, the precise matchup for which Embiid was recruited. NBA stars do not get many probabilities at legacy video games in worldwide competitors. However contemplating that Embiid has by no means superior out of the playoffs’ second spherical, this could at the very least be a possibility for him to show that he can thrive on a giant stage. Which is strictly what he did.

Embiid wasn’t Group USA’s greatest participant in its thrilling, 95-91 comeback victory. These honors belonged to Steph Curry (36 factors) and LeBron James (16 factors, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, simply the fourth triple-double in Olympics historical past). However Embiid was important to the Individuals, particularly as they did all they may to resist Serbia’s 3-point barrage (15-39) and claw again from a 17-point deficit.

It was no coincidence that the Individuals outscored Serbia by 17 factors within the 27 minutes Embiid was on the court docket. He was in every single place and did every part. He buried his patented foul-line jumpers. He manned the center on protection. However he prolonged himself, too, bodying up Jokic on a number of possessions and throwing down a baseline slam after making a runway with one among his slow-motion pump fakes.

Embiid completed with 19 factors — on a ridiculous 9-for-11 taking pictures — 4 rebounds, and three assists, together with one vital, back-breaking display to unlock Curry for a go-ahead triple with simply over two minutes remaining, giving Group USA its first lead for the reason that first quarter.

“He confirmed why he is one of many best ever to the touch a basketball,” Kevin Durant mentioned after the win, per The Athletic. “He was ending over the rim, pulling down pictures, placing these guys in foul bother. He was unbelievable tonight.”

All through all of it, you could possibly really feel Embiid wanting the sport the extra it gave the impression to be slipping away. The deficit — and the chance it offered, particularly going through his rival in Jokić — appeared to energise him. He was pounding his chest and shouting on the hissing crowd after which after the win, as he pranced off the ground whereas mixing in some crotch chops — all captured on digital camera by Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, due to course — you could possibly see the glee.

The match’s not over but. Group USA will face host nation France on Saturday, which means the battle for gold shall be happening in entrance of a hostile crowd. Embiid’s going to listen to the boos. The selection of how one can meet the second shall be his. A gold medal will not erase his playoff shortcomings. And it would not be the primary line of his basketball obituary. However it could be talked about. Olympics performances do not change legacies. However they will burnish them.

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA author for FOX Sports activities and the creator of Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports. Comply with him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

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