Steve Kerr Discusses Possibility of Team USA Starting AD, Adebayo over Joel Embiid

The USA men's basketball team has been blessed with a lot of talent at center ahead of the Paris Olympics, with Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo all on the roster.

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

"These next few games, I'm going to continue experimenting with the lineup," head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Monday. "Joel is getting better and better everyday. 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."

Embiid, 30, struggled in his Team USA debut against Canada, managing just five points and six rebounds in 12 minutes before fouling out in the third quarter. He was far better on Monday against Australia, however, with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Davis, meanwhile, has been Team USA's most impressive player in the two games, at least on the stat sheet, with consecutive double-double performances. He and Adebayo have been teaming up on the second unit for the Americans, and that group has fared very well thus far in the warmup contests.

The benefit of starting a player like Embiid is that he provides a level of physicality down low that Davis and Adebayo can't replicate. He provides gravity that leads to wide-open shots on the perimeter as the defense collapses into the paint.

Granted, Davis is a fantastic two-way player in his own right, and Adebayo adds a dimension of playmaking to the mix. Embiid has become a much more proficient passer out of the post as his career has progressed, however, and remains an excellent rim-protector on the defensive end.

The goal for the United States 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 play smaller and punish 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.

Ultimately, Kerr will probably ride the hot hand within the flow of the games in Paris, regardless of who starts. It will come down to which players seem to find a positive rhythm paired together. To this point, Davis and Adebayo have looked good as a duo on the second unit. Upsetting that balance by starting either player over Embiid might not prove to be particularly beneficial.