Though he has only played in 31 NBA games over the last three seasons, there is no denying the level of elite on-court talent that comes with center Joel Embiid. He had his only season at the University of Kansas cut short by injury. He initially went No. 3 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2014 NBA Draft largely because of it.
While he did not appear in an NBA regular season game until 2016-17, there is a good chance that the Bucks should have taken a gamble on Embiid at No. 2 over another often-injured player Jabari Parker out of Duke. Embiid can certainly play the stretch five. At 7-2, Embiid runs the floor like Shaquille O’Neal did in his youth. He has an eerily similar physical makeup to what Hakeem Olajuwon had with the Houston Rockets in the 1980s and 1990s, albeit with more bulk.
It didn’t necessarily have to be power forward that the Bucks went after at No. 2. Embiid was probably in the discussion for the Bucks’ first-round pick that year as well. Parker just seemed to have a better bill of health at the time. Not that Parker was the wrong choice by any means, but he’s been almost as injury-plagued as Embiid, and doesn’t offer quite the intriguing upside.
Since 2014-15 was Jason Kidd’s first season as the Bucks head coach, he probably wanted a guy that could come in and play right away alongside small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Parker can still become an All-Star level player like Embiid projects to be, but if both players stay healthy Embiid seems much better. Three years later, taking Embiid at No. 2 doesn’t feel as risky as it once did. He’d have to have a new nickname as well. The Process becomes The Fear in Fear the Deer.