Dec 21, 2013; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks center Joel Embiid (21) celebrates after scoring during the second half of the game against the Georgetown Hoyas at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won 86-64. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
If you were to put injury history aside, there’s no question that Joel Embiid would be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. No ifs, ands or buts.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
Thus, the need for Embiid to win back his naysayers. He began the journey to doing just that last Friday at a pre-draft workout in Santa Monica.
"Former Kansas big man Joel Embiid worked out in front of several NBA types Friday in Santa Monica and the general consensus is that the 20-year-old was impressive. Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski, usually light on opinion, tweeted that it is “Impossible to imagine passing on him at No. 1.”"
"Embiid quickly re-asserting claim to # 1 pick here. Added muscle, still has quick feet & a beautiful jumper. No evidence of back issues"
Embiid averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 23 minutes per game this past season at Kansas. It’s an extremely small sample size, but it’s a really, really good sample. It’d be a shame if the Cavaliers pass him up at No. 1. Embiid isn’t Greg Oden, nor is he Kwame Brown. He’s the real deal.
Here is Embiid’s complete pre-draft workout highlights: