NBA Draft Rumors: Any team that doesn’t take Joel Embiid ‘is screwed’
Former Kansas Jayhawks’ center Joel Embiid looked like the likely number one overall pick.
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Big men are hard to find and Embiid seems like a sure bet to at worst be a very good rim protector, but he also is very skilled and many expect him to develop a very nice offensive game to compliment his defense. However, there have been questions about Embiid’s back and now that he has undergone surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot, he almost certainly won’t be the top pick and could fall out of the top-five all together.
According to Adam Zagoria of SNY.TV, one scout believes passing on Embiid would be a huge mistake.
"Any team that doesn’t pick Joel Embiid in Thursday’s NBA Draft will end up regretting it, a source close to the 7-foot center told SNY.tv.“Any team that doesn’t take him is going to be [screwed] because he’s going to be great,” the source said. “He’s going to be great. He’s more talented and he can do more for a team than those other guys can do. He’s special. The dude is special. He’s had injuries, but he’s a stud. He’s an absolute stud. He will have more of an impact on an NBA game than any of the other guys in the draft — any of them.”"
Embiid is ranked second among all prospects by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express (behind former Kansas teammate, forward Andrew Wiggins). Embiid averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 62.6% from the field, 20.0% from beyond the arc and 68.5% from the free throw line.