"Only if it's for the right reasons"

Will Joel Embiid play with the French team in the near future? This is the question we continue to ask ourselves since the superstar pivot of the Sixers was naturalized French this summer. The current pivot holder of the Blues Rudy Gobert recently gave his opinion on the question. A rather clear-cut opinion.

In addition to the debate that can be had on the naturalization of foreign players, the potential integration of a phenomenon of the caliber of Embiid within the collective of the Blues is itself subject to discussion. Technically, obviously knowing that Rudy has been on position 5 for quite a while now and that Jojo is one of the two best pivots in the world, but also in terms of internal dynamics knowing that the France group of the 92 generation has solidified as the competitions progress, and that in addition there is a phenomenon named Victor Wembanyama who has just arrived.

So many parameters to take into account with a view to the arrival of Joel Embiid within Team France. And if, given the enormous talent of the guy, the Blues do not intend to deprive themselves of him if he decides to opt for EDF (as a reminder: he has also been naturalized American, and can therefore choose Team USA) , the integration will only work if Jojo is 100% in the project. In any case, that’s what Rudy Gobert thinks if we are to believe his interview with Joe Vardon from The Athletic.

“For me, the most important thing is if his heart tells him to be part of Team France. I want him to do it for the right reasons. He must understand that the French team is very different from the NBA. We have rules, things we do. Sometimes we share meals together – it’s not each on his own. They are two different teams.

If it’s a choice of the heart, it would be an incredible opportunity for us. It must come from him. Either you’re part of the team all the way, or not at all. You can’t just walk in like that. »

That is what is said, and it has the merit of being clear.

Rudy, Evan Fournier, and all those guys who have participated in the recent adventures of the French team value one thing more than victory: camaraderie, group life, and more generally the feeling of pride that accompanies wearing the blue-white-red jersey. We’re not here to say that Joel Embiid – who can sometimes tend to stay a little in his bubble – is the kind of guy to blow it all up, but we’ve seen in other nations by the past that the integration of naturalized players into a group is not necessarily a process that happens naturally. And it’s all the more true when you have an MVP caliber player like Jojo who would still be a game changer on many levels.

Yes, as Rudy says, the French team and more generally international basketball, it’s very different from what Joel Embiid may experience with the Sixers in the NBA. Not the same collective dynamic, not the same game, not the same rules on the pitch, and perhaps not the same responsibilities either. And that inevitably can complicate the adaptation.

“Everything we can do as a national team, we do collectively. There is no room for individualism. The NBA is a different world. For Joel, given that he has never been on a national team, it would be a new experience and there would likely be a learning curve for him. »

– Matisse Thybulle, Embiid’s Sixers teammate and Australia squad member

However, in a world where Joel Embiid chooses the Blues “with his heart”, watch out.

Vincent Collet’s men failed twice in a row in the final, at the Tokyo Olympics and at the last EuroBasket, not to mention the bronze medal won at the last World Cup. If you add a Jojo perfectly involved in the current group, without forgetting the rise of Wemby, EDF could well move into a new dimension with a view to the next World Cup and obviously the 2024 Olympics in Paris. And it’s not Rudy who will say otherwise.