The Cleveland Cavaliers are said to be interested in drafting Joel Embiid with the No. 1 overall pick, but the former Kansas star suffered another injury this week that could alter their plans. According to a report from ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman, Embiid suffered a foot injury that could be a fracture.
“He suffered a foot injury to his right foot sometime over the last few days,” Embiid’s agent Arn Tellem told ESPN’s Andy Katz on Thursday. “He’s getting evaluations from various doctors and experts in the field. We’ll know more Friday.”
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports confirmed that Embiid will be consulting with an orthopedist and that there is a possibility he fractured his foot and will need surgery.
From a physical standpoint, Embiid is considered the most NBA-ready prospect of a loaded 2014 draft class. But if his foot injury is in fact a fracture, it would only make sense for teams to start worrying about his durability.
Embiid missed the NCAA Tournament as he dealt with a back injury that he claims to be 100% recovered from. He supposedly looked sharp in workouts last month. Depending on the extent of the foot injury, his draft stock could definitely be somewhat affected.
UPDATE: Looks like it is a fracture for Embiid, which means surgery is next.
Joel Embiid has suffered stress fracture in right foot and slated for surgery on Friday, agent Arn Tellem says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 19, 2014
