Joel Embiid may be the biggest wild card heading into the NBA Draft on Thursday night, and that is because of his rapidly growing injury history. Embiid is recovering from a broken foot that could scare teams away because of the devastating impact the injury has had on players in the past. He also missed the NCAA Tournament because of a back injury, but are there health concerns beyond his back and foot?
On Thursday morning, ESPN’s Chad Ford told “Mike and Mike in the Morning” that some teams are concerned about other undisclosed health issues.
“The feedback that I’ve gotten (from team sources) is it’s not just the foot,” Ford said, via 97.5 The Fanatic. “That’s the most serious thing, and it’s not just the back. There’s other things coming out of those medical reports that in totality have scared them away.”
We don’t know what Ford is referring to, but it gives you an idea of just how risky a pick the former Kansas Star might be. Everyone is thinking Greg Oden, and you can understand why.
Even with the back, foot and whatever else Embiid has going on, Ford said the only team he believes that has truly red-flagged him because of injury concerns is the Milwaukee Bucks at pick No. 2. While he doesn’t believe the Cleveland Cavaliers will draft Embiid at No. 1, Ford doesn’t necessarily think they have red-flagged him because they are exploring the possibility of trading down and then taking him.
While we wouldn’t draft Embiid in the top 10, I have a funny feeling he’ll be going earlier than some expected.
