ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — When Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism here, spoke briefly to Team USA the other day, he said Anthony Davis was their best big man.

He also confessed to being biased about that — he’s a massive Lakers fan.

“Sorry, Joel,” he added, getting a laugh out of everyone, including Joel Embiid.

As the Americans continue their tune-up for the Olympics, here’s the unbiased question: Will coach Steve Kerr ultimately agree?

Because the evidence is pointing in that direction. Embiid has started at center in both showcase games so far, with three more remaining before the Paris Games begin, but starting hasn’t equaled being the best big man so far.

That would be Davis, and to even stretch the conversation, next up would be Bam Adebayo.

As for Embiid, two issues are apparent:

1. He looks out of shape.

2. He slows the flow when he’s on the floor.

Those are twin concerns for Team USA at the moment as the Americans prepare Wednesday for Serbia, the last of two exhibition games in the UAE.

Nikola Jokic probably won’t be a concern. The three-time Kia NBA MVP center will likely skip the game, rather than play a back-to-back; Serbia faced Australia on Tuesday.

Still, Kerr might have a big decision to make as he continues to study combinations and chemistry leading up to his starting five announcement for Paris.

“Right now we’re just experimenting, so we’re looking at different combinations,” the Team USA coach said Monday following the narrow victory over Australia.

Embiid had five rebounds against a smallish Australian team with three turnovers. He had four turnovers and five points last week when the Americans opened exhibition play against Canada.

Again: It’s early, but how concerning is it?

And will Embiid, who joins Steph Curry and LeBron James as the only players to start both games so far, come off the bench against Serbia, whether Jokic plays or not?

“He’s getting better and better everyday,” said Kerr. “It usually takes big guys longer to get rhythm and flow. I love Joel. He’s a dominant player.”

And yet, Kerr added: “It’s going to be important for us to figure out combinations and putting the right people together. It’s still a work in progress.”

This is Embiid’s first taste of USA basketball and international competition, and at one awkward point in the third quarter against Australia, it showed. When the Aussies crashed the boards and tipped in one of their own misses, Embiid turned to the referee and rolled an index finger in the air — the symbol for goaltending.

One problem: Once the ball hits the rim in international play, it’s fair game and can be touched.

As for Davis, he’s had a double-double in each game while coming off the bench. He’s also in better shape and more athletic than Embiid and therefore fits in when the Americans want to increase the pace. And he’s just as good defensively.

“AD has been fantastic these first 10 days,” Kerr said. “Obviously, we got a lot of talent, every single guy is capable of starting and playing big minutes. The next few games we will continue to experiment and try to come up with the best combos.”

Davis is issuing the company line with Team USA: “It doesn’t matter whether I start or not, I’ll do whatever’s asked of me, however I can help.”

And since he has flourished off the bench, Kerr might not want to disrupt that.

Keep in mind, though, that big men are big for this team — in the past, and especially last year in the World Cup, the Americans surrendered that part of the floor to the World. Better play from the center position has been a mantra for 2024.

“We want to get back to that dominance on the inside,” Davis said. “This takes me back to my college days (at Kentucky), where I can sit back, block shots, rebound and be a presence.”

This is Davis’ second appearance on the men’s Olympic team, but his first in a prominent role. In 2012 he was just 19, fresh out of college (and a national championship) and barely played, averaging less than four points and three rebounds.

“I got a jump start that most rookies didn’t get,” he said. “How to come to work every day, be a true professional. It wasn’t just a pickup game with us. We were going for the gold. I was able to see that first hand.”

Davis was naive in some ways, too, as he hilariously recounted when mentioning a team dinner.

“I come in a full sweat suit and everyone else is dressed and looking real nice,” he said. “I walked in, saw them and said, ‘oh, crap.’ Man, I didn’t know. I was out of college and didn’t have any money yet.”

His wardrobe has improved. And based on what he has shown so far, so has his Team USA presence.

He will give Kerr a big decision to make, if he hasn’t already.

Meanwhile, about KD: There’s no immediate update on Kevin Durant’s recovery process regarding a minor calf injury which cut short his workouts and prevented him from playing in either showcase games so far.

There’s still hope he suits up once the team plays two exhibitions in London, on Saturday and Monday.

If he doesn’t, then the situation turns touchy. Olympic rosters must be delivered late next week. If Durant is still on the mend by then, Team USA must either cross its fingers and hope he’ll recover for the Games at some point. Or they’ll need to find an 11th hour replacement, who must arrive and get last-minute reps.

Neither situation is optimal. Given Durant’s history regarding calf injuries — which turned into a ruptured Achilles in 2019 — precaution is the rule. Yet Durant is shooting for a fourth gold medal, which he badly wants. He would become the first male athlete to win that many gold medals in any team sport at the Games.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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