Another continuous subplot at the Paris Olympics has been the French fans’ vitriolic reaction to Embiid, who chose to play for the U.S. instead of France (he has citizenship in both countries and was born in Cameroon, but has only lived in the U.S. since he was a teenager).
Hill said he hasn’t been surprised by how Embiid has been received in France, but believes Embiid plays his best when he can be the antagonist in front of a hostile crowd. Hill also said Embiid was so sick before the Olympics opener against Serbia that he had to travel separately from the team from Paris to Lille, arriving the day of the game and logging about 11 minutes. Kerr didn’t play Embiid at all in the Americans’ second game against South Sudan.
Embiid’s best game with Team USA was Tuesday night against Brazil, when he scored 14 points with seven rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting, all in the first half. He didn’t play the second half of a blowout win out of precaution with ankle soreness.
“There was just a lot of noise around him, with his situation,” Hill said. “We knew he was going to have a big moment soon. … We’re very excited where he’s at, and I expect he’ll play well these next two games.”