Had it not been for Joel Embiid hurting his back before the NCAA Tournament, Kansas may have made a run to the Final Four and beyond. Many consider Embiid to be the most NBA-ready prospect in what is a fairly loaded 2014 draft class. Anyone who thinks otherwise is probably concerned about his recovery.
According to several top NBA sources, there should be no concern over Embiid’s injured back. ESPN’s Chad Ford reported on Friday that Embiid has declared himself 100% healthy.
Just spoke with Embiid. Told me his back is 100 percent. Been working out hard for last 3 weeks.
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) May 23, 2014
Adrian Wojnarowski, one of the best NBA insiders in the industry, took it a step further:
Watching Joel Embiid in workout for league executives in Santa Monica. Impossible to imagine passing on him at No. 1.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) May 23, 2014
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the top overall pick and claim they have already been receiving phone calls about it. If what Woj says is true, that means a lot of teams are interested in Embiid. Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker are the other possibilities, but Embiid seems like the safest pick based on everything we’ve heard.
