Plenty of basketball fans are getting excited about Team USA and its quest for yet another Olympic gold medal with the summer games in Paris less than two weeks away.
It is one of its most talented rosters ever, and some even feel this could be the most talented roster it has ever had, even more than the 1992 Dream Team that set the standard for Olympic basketball transcendence.
One of the NBA superstars representing our country this year is the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, a native of Cameroon who became a United States citizen nearly two years ago and won the league MVP award for the 2022-23 season.
While some may feel Embiid should’ve opted for rest and recuperation this summer because of his lengthy injury history, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse thinks playing in the Olympics will be “great for him right now,” partly because it could result in him being in tremendous shape for the coming NBA season, per SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“I think it’s great for him right now”
76ers HC Nick Nurse on if there’s any concern that Joel Embiid is playing in the Olympics in his conversation with @TermineRadio and @TheFrankIsola at #NBA2KSummerleague
Hear all our Summer League interviews here – https://t.co/QpeHcFM6GQ pic.twitter.com/ajJZzGsMn7
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 16, 2024
Embiid looked to be on his way to a second straight MVP and third straight scoring title early last season, but he then injured his meniscus, forcing him to miss two months of action.
In 39 games, he still managed to average 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.7 blocked shots a game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from 3-point range.
Nurse mentioned that the Sixers’ added talent and depth should allow them to limit Embiid’s workload early this coming season.
They landed perennial All-Star forward Paul George, as well as guard Eric Gordon, center Andre Drummond and forward Caleb Martin this summer, and they could have the best chance of any Eastern Conference team of knocking off the NBA champion Boston Celtics in the playoffs.
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Nick Nurse Reveals His Thoughts On Adding Paul George To Team