Joel Embiid, the defeated villain redeemed himself on Team USA

The villain appears redeemed from the screams of Paris. Joel Embiidthe taboo for the passionate and patriotic French public, the traitor for those who dishonor the honor of defending France by choosing USAreveled in his victory, showing off that Olympic gold repeatedly at the medal ceremony to an angry crowd. I tasted for the first time what it means to win.

Another honor for LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. A first for Embiid. The noisy confrontation with the French public and the endless scenes of the center adding more fuel to the fire slightly overshadowed the important need that he had to satisfy and was satisfied: his first title.

Joel Embiid is MVP in 2023, but, to him 30 yearsnot only did they not achieve collective success, but they still didn’t come close. Unable to end the curse that plagues the Philadelphia 76ers Since 2001, and partially representing the mortality that has accompanied the Pennsylvanians since then with their playoff injuries, Embiid has not made it past the Conference Semifinals.

A parade of failures blamed on the interior above all for failing to decisive moment to remain a star with an asterisk, offering a stellar performance in the regular season but falling short in the playoffs. The image of Embiid cowering before Al Horford in the second round matchup of the 2023 playoffs and the subsequent rebuke of PJ Tucker Because of his shyness, this is one of Embiid’s most defining playoff scenes. Although repeated injuries at the moment of truth also played their part.

But the image that will remain of the Cameroonian in Paris, fighting with the French public, is the determination with which he attacked. Nikola Jokic in the agonizing semi-final duel against Serbia (95-91). In the round with such a traumatic name for him – although in this case the round before the final -, Joel Embiid unleashed his MVP character and talent against the reigning team at the most dangerous moment for the United States in these Games.

Like a ruthless competitor, Embiid hit Jokic several times in the fourth quarter of the four fouls, putting all the pressure on the anchor who supported Serbia’s performance for most of the match. Knowing what such a matchup would mean for him, his Team USA teammates set the stage for Embiid to be one-on-one with the Nuggets star. An intimate duel between the MVPs where the Sixers star stripped the Joker.

The African signed in the semi-final 19 points4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 26 minutes with 8/11 on field goals and 2/3 on triples, but the stat that shows the step he made was his 7 points in that decisive quarter. Embiid has always been criticized for inexplicable resignations in tight moments, but the interior has shown courage and excellence.

The 26 minutes he played in that match was also a sign of his growth throughout the tournament, as his more conservative defense in pick and roll This became a problem at one point for the United States against dynamic teams like Serbia. Without further ado, Embiid participated in only 11 minutes in the debut against the Balkan team. The Sixers star left Paris averaging impressive 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1 steal in 16 minutes with a PIR of 12.

His shooting efficiency is also notable, with 57% shooting from the field and a great 54% in triples. While Embiid hasn’t done much from the perimeter with 2.2 attempts per game, the center has made defenses choose to float him. A very tough weapon, especially for punishment zones 2-3 that Team USA found, with the resource of using the shooting center to bypass the first line, which is usually made up of small players.

A performance that should be given more credit considering that Embiid has never played under FIBA ​​rules​​​​​​ and has had a complicated adaptation. Of those 2023 MVP It was difficult for him at first to find his place against the bigger contact allowed in FIBA​​​​​​​​​​ and the United States saw how his game stalled when the interior attacked the post. Paris saw an Embiid give up the spot to focus on that mid-distance shot that was too difficult to defend between his size and the jump shot.

His effective screens also helped Team USA and Steve Kerr did not hesitate to include him in the starting quintet except for the match South Sudan, against whom the American coach sat the Cameroonian on the bench for a tactical issue, as the dizzying pace of the African team put the center in difficulty.

The center has finally tasted the taste of success, but even though he has reached a strange fate for him, he has not changed his way of understanding, as if the welcome the hated player will be with him for the rest of his life. What’s more, Embiid boosted the popularity he was complaining about when he faced the raucous French public. He said in an interview with TheAthletic before the Olympics He expected a bad environment but he didn’t care.

Although it did not affect him in terms of performance, Joel Embiid declared an open war on the French fans from the first moment, always reacting to the gestures and putting the climax in his comedy before Puerto Rico. With 15 seconds left to play, the game decided and the ball in the Cameroonian’s hands, Embiid invited the crowd to boo his actions and ended the scene by shooting from mid-court to miss, thus giving rise to a non-basketball code of honor in which the winning team does not play the last possession.

Of course, his loud statements also help him get detractors and ridicule, like when he also said before the Games that injuries prevented him from being in the debate for the best of all time.

Joel Embiid is right that bad luck has followed him with physical problems that always come up in the playoffs, but it’s less true that his physical style of play, more than Nikola Jokicthey also expose you to it.

The Philadelphia 76ers, in their never-ending process of returning to the glory of the champion that never came, are doing everything they can to not ask too much of Embiid and at the same time surround him as much as possible, something that has also been complained about of the interior. about ever.

Daryl Morey He is making a big effort this summer to make the Sixers, as the well-known executive suggested, “the best team in the East.” All of Pennsylvania brought Paul George as requested by Embiid and also a good cast of secondary players like Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson, in addition to cementing the role of substitute center with experience and youth alongside Andre Drummond and the newly drafted Adem Bona, teammate of Aday Mara at UCLA.

Without forgetting the unstoppable rise to stardom of a Tyrese Maxey that promises to be the base differential for years that Ben Simmons and James Harden can’t be. Maxey, just 23 years old, won the Most Improved Player award last season.

Besides, Nick Nurse He’s also doing his part to ease the burden on Embiid and the Philly coach managed last year for the African to develop his role as a assistant from the header like Jokic, the Cameroonian setting his personal record for assists with an average of 5.6. Joel Embiid has learned how to win. The question is whether forever