Joel Embiid has faced persistent boos from French fans after opting to represent Team USA rather than France in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Despite the backlash, the Philadelphia 76ers star remains unphased by the disapproval. With his commitment to Team USA now solidified, Kendrick Perkins believes it’s time for Embiid to fully embrace the opportunity and focus on maximizing his performance on the global stage.
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The ESPN analyst recently talked about Embiid on the show and explored the things that the 30-year-old can learn while being on a roster full of superstars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. ‘The Process’ hasn’t quite performed much in the current Olympics. In the opening match against Serbia, Embiid was the only U.S. player with a negative plus/minus despite a 26-point margin of victory. He scored four points and rebounds on 2 of 5 shooting in just 11 minutes of action.
While this opportunity is like a dream for most athletes, Embiid is in a position where he can track their every move and see what makes them so much more special than the others. He was qualified to play for three nations: France, Cameroon, and the United States. His decision was a turning point in his career. His chances of winning a gold medal are higher because he chose the USA. Perkins said,
“When you commit to something, especially like playing for Team USA, you don’t take that lightly. That means that you prepare, that means you come into shape. And the best thing that’s happening for him right now is that iron sharpens iron. So, now, he’s around greatness.”
In this case, not taking things lightly would require Embiid to be 100% prepared at all times so that when he’s allowed to play alongside LeBron and Steph, he benefits from it.
"When you commit to something, especially like playing for Team USA, you don't take that lightly." 😤 @KendrickPerkins on what Joel Embiid can learn from playing in Paris to improve his game 📈 pic.twitter.com/Pgjw8gfZmi
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 29, 2024
During a recent conversation between Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, the former Team USA teammates mentioned something similar. They said that being on the USA Basketball squad changes an athlete’s approach towards their craft. Referring to his time in 2008 with the late, great Kobe Bryant, D Wade said that being around the best player in the league at the time made him learn so much about the game.
“… I get to be with him every day for over a month and for two years in a row, how lucky am I? He kicked us into gear. It put our mindset and our focus somewhere else… This is about the pride of this country we support, live in, and love.”
Getting back to Perkins’ concern for Embiid, he believes that the 2023 MVP should take a page out of Anthony Edwards’ playbook. As for his position in such a stacked team, Embiid started for Team USA in the game against Serbia as a primary center. Unlike him, Edwards is making the most of his opportunity to play. The 22-year-old Timberwolves shooting guard scored 11 points with a 4-of-6 field goal attempt in the match.
Perkins feels that the 76ers star can benefit a lot from simply watching his current teammates go about their craft. Although his time on the court is being restricted because of the rotation option available for Stever Kerr and the injury that he suffered during the playoffs, it will be interesting to see how the head coach uses his roster.
