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Joel Embiid’s critics have only gotten louder since Team USA began their tune-up games for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Some fans on social media have been trolling the Philadelphia 76ers star for his underwhelming performances. Embiid responded to the criticism by saying it usually takes him a few games before he gets his rhythm back.
The Americans are 3-0 in the group stage but have done so with little help from the former MVP. Embiid played only 11 minutes against Serbia before he rode the bench for most of the game. He didn’t see action versus South Sudan before returning to face Puerto Rico.
Charles Barkley had this to say about Joel Embiid’s Olympic campaign on the “Podcast P with Paul George:”
“I think that's one of the reasons he's always injured. I don't think he's in good enough shape…You got to be a little bit embarrassed by the way you played.”
This isn’t the first time the Hall Famer called out Joel Embiid for his underwhelming play. “Sir Charles” has ripped him on several occasions for lack of aggressiveness, poor body language or playing out of shape. Barkley will not back down and will only dig into his stance if “The Process” continues to underperform.
Team USA coach Steve Kerr clearly wanted to get Embiid going versus the undersized Puerto Ricans. They repeatedly went to him early and often in the paint. The Sixers’ franchise cornerstone finished that game with 15 points, three rebounds and two blocks, his best in the tournament.
Basketball fans will be interested to see how Embiid does in the quarterfinals versus Brazil. The Selecao’s Bruno Caboclo terrorized the Japanese in their last game, adding hype to the showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers superstar.
Charles Barkley hilariously insists Joel Embiid and Co. can’t come back to the USA without the gold medal
Charles Barkley acknowledged how other countries have improved in basketball. He mentioned Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as three of the best players in the Paris Olympics. “Chuck,” however, insisted that no team can match up against the Americans from top to bottom.
The former Phoenix Suns star had this to say in the event Team USA fails to bag the gold:
“Listen, if they lose, we can’t let them back in the country. We can’t! I told them they can’t come back.”
Team USA might cruise to the gold medal even if Joel Embiid continues to struggle. Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo are more than capable of anchoring the team. Still, it would be nice to see “The Process” show off the dominance that made him a former MVP and one of the NBA’s best players.
