Team USA’s coach explains his reasoning.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr has a stacked roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics in men’s basketball. The 2024 squad is being coined as the Redeem Team 2.0, as Team USA is out for revenge after not medaling at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The United States has revamped the basketball roster and assembled a squad consisting of true megastar players in the quest to bring home Olympic gold for the 17th time.

But having such a talented roster can lead to challenges in terms of rotation. On Wednesday, Kerr explained what he likes about the trio of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid starting together:

Said Kerr, “Yeah, I like those three guys in the starting lineup. We’ve been looking at other guys around them, and we obviously do have a lot of great options, but I do like those three guys together.”

Embiid has been up and down in the team’s first two warmups against Canada and Australia, leading to questions about whether someone else will be considered for the starting center role.

On Monday, Kerr intimated that he may make a change. “These next few games, I’m going to continue experimenting with the lineup. Joel is getting better and better every day. Usually, it takes big guys a little longer to get rhythm and flow. But I love Joel, he’s a dominant player. I think it’s going to be important for us to figure out the best combinations and putting the right people together, and that’s still a work in progress.”

Steve Kerr’s Joel Embiid decision for Olympics

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The 30-year-old Embiid struggled in his Team USA debut against Canada, racking up just five points and six rebounds in 12 minutes before fouling out in the third quarter. He looked better on Monday against Australia, however, with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Anthony Davis, meanwhile, has been Team USA’s most impressive player in the two games with consecutive double-double performances. He and Bam Adebayo have been teaming up on the second unit for the Americans, and that group has looked very good to this point in the warmup contests.

The benefit of starting a player like Embiid is that he provides a level of physicality down low that even big men like Davis and Adebayo can’t recreate. His offensive gravity also creates wide-open perimeter shots as the defense is forced to help into the paint.

The United States’ goal is to have as many ways to beat opponents as possible. Embiid offers the ability to pound smaller teams in the post, but Team USA can also look to play smaller and take advantage of bigger teams with dynamic wing play and elite perimeter shooting. And the Americans have the athletic ability to play lockdown defense, another avenue to success.

Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics is going to be fascinating to watch.