Joel Embiid

[Big_C_KU]

Oden was 260, Embiid is 240.
O'Neal was 7'2 and 300 pounds by draft time.
Zo was 6'10.5 and 250.

Its amazing looking back and seeing Shaq listed at 300 and then watching game film his first few years. Looked 260-270, not 300. He carried so much weight without his athleticism and quickness being effected.

Embiid is somewhat similar. You look at him in game and think he ways 220-230 but then you see he's listed at 250 and wonder how. That's why I think he can get up to a strong 270 possibly 280 without athleticism and quickness being effected much.

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[Bubstubbler]

I thought I read an article just last week saying he is up to 250. Either way this is the guy I want for the Sixers

I think Fischella was referencing Embiid's weight from his senior season in high school that draftexpress still has listed.

ESPN, sports-reference.com, nbadraft.net, KU's official website, etc all list the updated 250 lb figure.

[Bubstubbler]

November 23rd

I can't believe you guys are seriously considering taking him over Randle, Wiggins, or Parker.

December 23rd

By the the time the draft rolls around he will be the consensus #1 pick.

You're not alone, Embiid has a way of turning around opinions in short order like this. I remember assuming he'd be at least a 2 or 3 year project from reading a blurb about him last year. Then I saw him play earlier this season and was just . Took almost no time to go from thinking he was a 3yr project to thinking he was going to be the best and most important player in this draft.

[erudite23]

He seems to be winning a lot of people over. I will need to see him come through on a bigger stage and produce when he's been given a larger role. And more consistency.


But.......it would be hard to pass on that combination of skill and athleticism.

[Hendrix]

Do you guys think there is any bust potential with Embiid?

With Wiggins I think there is pretty much zero bust potential. At worst I think he'll be an impact defender, and give you 15ppg on good efficiency from transition buckets, cuts, and the odd jumper/trip to the line.

I don't think there is much bust potential with Jabari either. I have a hard time seeing him not being a 20ppg player minimum at some point in his career.

But, where is Embiid's 'floor'? Is it in the world of possibility that he ends up just looking lost out there like Thabeet?

[breakchains]

I'd be far more surprised if Embiid busted than Wiggins. I think despite most people's perceptions, Embiid has a more advanced game than Wiggins does. Embiid will be the #1 pick come June.

[ManualRam]

Do you guys think there is any bust potential with Embiid?

With Wiggins I think there is pretty much zero bust potential. At worst I think he'll be an impact defender, and give you 15ppg on good efficiency from transition buckets, cuts, and the odd jumper/trip to the line.

I don't think there is much bust potential with Jabari either. I have a hard time seeing him not being a 20ppg player minimum at some point in his career.

But, where is Embiid's 'floor'? Is it in the world of possibility that he ends up just looking lost out there like Thabeet?

he definitely has bust potential. there aren't too many players who are "bust-proof" and embiid isn't one of the few who are. he currently plays a game that is very finesse. it's possible that he doesn't adapt well to the physical nature of the NBA post game. keep in mind he's executing a lot of these post moves under rules that make post defense very difficult. defenders can't even use armbars to push offensive players off the block in college which is not the case in the nba.

i don't think his floor would be thabeet since he shows a more advanced feel for the game and more skill now than thabeet did as a junior...some could argue that he's more advanced than thabeet is now. hasheem wasn't projected to be an offensive force at all. he was supposed become a rebounder/shotblocker who, anything he provided offensively was a bonus, so i wouldn't use him as a embiid's floor. i think someone like olowokandi would be more of a floor. he had the athletic background in other sports, he picked up the game quickly. he definitely had the mind to pick up nuances of the game quickly (candy was a very smart dude). he developed touch and skill in little time, but he didn't pan out in the nba for a number of reasons, one of them being him not responding well to physical defenders pushing him back.

[Dr Positivity]

I can't see him going below Robin Lopez at worst. Who I like a lot and starter is a high floor, he may be 8 mil player on his next deal. But if Embiid became that as no 1 pick it's basically as bad as getting Kandi Kwame Darko'd. I see the other guys as having a sub Lopez floor though

[korverd26]

What i like about Embiid is that he doesn't have major injury problems, unlike Oden and Bynum when they were in high school and college.

Embiid could be Andre Drummond with 70% FT%

[No-Man]

Embiid and Drummond are literally nothing alike.
Well they are both black.

[Bubstubbler]

Whenever guys like Bynum and Olowokandi are mentioned as comparisons to Embiid, I think it's really important to stress that he is radically different from them in that two of Embiid's greatest strengths are coachability and great attitude. Those are incredibly important characteristics. Coachability and great attitude contribute mightily toward development/attainment of potential; without them, a player is far more likely to flounder and/or bust.

Here's how Kareem felt about Kandi--

When I coached for the Clippers, I had to deal with Michael Olowokandi, a player who perfectly fit the description "talented but uncoachable." At practice, I would attempt to point out Mr. Olowokandi's faults to him, ones he constantly repeated and resulted in lost possessions for the team or personal fouls that sent him to the bench. His reaction to my attempts to correct his bad habits was to take my input as a personal insult and embarrassment. He told me point-blank that he would not be criticized in front of the team.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_d ... nba,wp6868

That's the total opposite of Embiid.

It would have been interesting to see how Kandi would have developed if he'd had Embiid's attitude and coachability. He surely would have adapted far better to the NBA's physical style and developed himself into a substantially better player.

[campybatman]

I compare Embiid to Tim Duncan when he was at Wake Forest in that he can take his pick of which year to declare for the NBA draft. That is, I predict that he'll stay another year because he could be the top pick in 2015 as well. If he believes this, then it isn't a forgone conclusion that he'll declare for the 2014 draft. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he and teammate, Wayne Selden, return next season. Embiid has the personality to me to at least consider returning to school. And Selden will see an advantage to improving his stock with Andrew Wiggins likely gone next year.

[Hendrix]

I compare Embiid to Tim Duncan when he was at Wake Forest in that he can take his pick of which year to declare for the NBA draft. That is, I predict that he'll stay another year because he could be the top pick in 2015 as well. If he believes this, then it isn't a forgone conclusion that he'll declare for the 2014 draft. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he and teammate, Wayne Selden, return next season. Embiid has the personality to me to at least consider returning to school. And Selden will see an advantage to improving his stock with Andrew Wiggins likely gone next year.

I can't imagine a dude that came from poverty in Africa is going to turn down a gauranteed $20 million or so if he could go 1st this year.

[Notanoob]

I compare Embiid to Tim Duncan when he was at Wake Forest in that he can take his pick of which year to declare for the NBA draft. That is, I predict that he'll stay another year because he could be the top pick in 2015 as well. If he believes this, then it isn't a forgone conclusion that he'll declare for the 2014 draft. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he and teammate, Wayne Selden, return next season. Embiid has the personality to me to at least consider returning to school. And Selden will see an advantage to improving his stock with Andrew Wiggins likely gone next year.

I can't imagine a dude that came from poverty in Africa is going to turn down a gauranteed $20 million or so if he could go 1st this year.

He didn't come from poverty, his father is a colonel.

[Hendrix]

I can't imagine a dude that came from poverty in Africa is going to turn down a gauranteed $20 million or so if he could go 1st this year.

He didn't come from poverty, his father is a colonel.

How does having a father that is a colonel in a country with a $2000 per year average for salary prove he doesn't come from poverty? Relative to what North Americans are use to I'm sure he grew up in poverty. I'm sure $20 million gauranteed is pretty enticing.

[OleSchool]

I can't imagine a dude that came from poverty in Africa is going to turn down a gauranteed $20 million or so if he could go 1st this year.

He didn't come from poverty, his father is a colonel.

How does having a father that is a colonel in a country with a $2000 per year average for salary prove he doesn't come from poverty? Relative to what North Americans are use to I'm sure he grew up in poverty. I'm sure $20 million gauranteed is pretty enticing.

In an article on Bleacher report just last week he grew up middle-class in his country. But I get your point, that 20 million dollars is worth way more in his country than what his family had.

[OleSchool]

I compare Embiid to Tim Duncan when he was at Wake Forest in that he can take his pick of which year to declare for the NBA draft. That is, I predict that he'll stay another year because he could be the top pick in 2015 as well. If he believes this, then it isn't a forgone conclusion that he'll declare for the 2014 draft. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he and teammate, Wayne Selden, return next season. Embiid has the personality to me to at least consider returning to school. And Selden will see an advantage to improving his stock with Andrew Wiggins likely gone next year.

I agree with you that Selden (who I love his potential) should go back cause he would go in the top 10 next year. This year I think he's going very late lottery (12?) to early 20's? Same with James Young (love his game also) from Kentucky, but I think young could go as high as 5 next year if he went back.

I do not think Embiid will return, there are too many C's coming out next year IF they all declare. Any agent will recommend him coming out this year.

for the record, if I have the 1st pick this year I'm taking Embiid

[ManualRam]

Whenever guys like Bynum and Olowokandi are mentioned as comparisons to Embiid, I think it's really important to stress that he is radically different from them in that two of Embiid's greatest strengths are coachability and great attitude. Those are incredibly important characteristics. Coachability and great attitude contribute mightily toward development/attainment of potential; without them, a player is far more likely to flounder and/or bust.

Here's how Kareem felt about Kandi--

When I coached for the Clippers, I had to deal with Michael Olowokandi, a player who perfectly fit the description "talented but uncoachable." At practice, I would attempt to point out Mr. Olowokandi's faults to him, ones he constantly repeated and resulted in lost possessions for the team or personal fouls that sent him to the bench. His reaction to my attempts to correct his bad habits was to take my input as a personal insult and embarrassment. He told me point-blank that he would not be criticized in front of the team.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_d ... nba,wp6868

That's the total opposite of Embiid.

It would have been interesting to see how Kandi would have developed if he'd had Embiid's attitude and coachability. He surely would have adapted far better to the NBA's physical style and developed himself into a substantially better player.

kandi didn't become "uncoachable" til he got to the NBA. you dont learn the game as quickly as he did being uncoachable.

[campybatman]

I do not think Embiid will return, there are too many C's coming out next year IF they all declare. Any agent will recommend him coming out this year.

for the record, if I have the 1st pick this year I'm taking Embiid

Well, you never know for certain. That is, Willie Cauley-Stein decided to return for his Sophomore year. Interestingly, his statistics are only slightly better than the previous season. The most notable difference this year is that he has doubled his average blocks per game from two to four. Nonetheless, the potential draft prospects at center for the 2015 draft class is deep.

Who knows whether these five or four star players will be a major impact as Freshmen. You can only read about them for now.

Jahlil Okafor, Myles Turner, Karl Towns, Goodluck Okonoboh, Elbert Robinson and Thomas Welsh.

Not to mention, you've Dakari Johnson (Freshman) and Kaleb Tarczewski (Sophomore) who could declare for the 2015 draft as well.

[Money23]

I do not think Embiid will return, there are too many C's coming out next year IF they all declare. Any agent will recommend him coming out this year.

for the record, if I have the 1st pick this year I'm taking Embiid

Well, you never know for certain. That is, Willie Cauley-Stein decided to return for his Sophomore year. Interestingly, his statistics are only slightly better than the previous season. The most notable difference this year is that he has doubled his average blocks per game from two to four. Nonetheless, the potential draft prospects at center for the 2015 draft class is deep.

Who knows whether these five or four star players will be a major impact as Freshmen. You can only read about them for now.

Jahlil Okafor, Myles Turner, Karl Towns, Goodluck Okonoboh, Elbert Robinson and Thomas Welsh.

Not to mention, you've Dakari Johnson (Freshman) and Kaleb Tarczewski (Sophomore) who could declare for the 2015 draft as well.

Stephen Zimmerman as well too