Team USA's Joel Embiid. Sipa Press

Steve Kerr confirms Joel Embiid's status after benching

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated Jul 31, 2024 7:35 PM ET

The U.S. men’s basketball team may not have enough space for both Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid to play in the same games.

Tatum did not play in Team USA’s win over Serbia in group play at the Paris Olympics on Sunday. Embiid played in 11 minutes in that contest. After Tatum sat for that game, Team USA coach Steve Kerr vowed to play the Boston Celtics star in the team’s next game.

On Wednesday, Tatum played 17 minutes in the U.S.’ 103-86 win over South Sudan, while Embiid sat on the bench.

And guess what? Kerr said after the game that Embiid would start against Puerto Rico on Friday.

Steve Kerr said he Joel Embiid received DNP-CD against South Sudan because USA wanted to better match up with their team speed.
– Kerr will start LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Embiid versus Puerto Rico on Friday.

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 31, 2024

The U.S. leads Group C with a 2-0 record and has secured a spot in the knockout stage. Friday’s game will give Kerr another chance to tinker with his lineups as he tries to figure out the best combinations ahead of the knockout stage.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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