Joel Embiid

[Bubstubbler]

I wouldn't be surprised if he and teammate, Wayne Selden, return next season.

KU would be amazingly stacked if that happened. I wonder if Self would start Ellis at sf to get Cliff Alexander into the starting lineup, maybe something like this:

Tharpe/Mason/Frankamp
Selden/Oubre
Ellis/Greene/White
Alexander/Traylor/Michelson
Embiid/Lucas

Or maybe go with better perimeter shooting:

Frankamp/Tharpe/Mason
Selden/Oubre
Greene/White
Ellis/Traylor/Michelson
Embiid/Alexander/Lucas

I think it would be really beneficial for Ellis to work on his sf skills, since he seems too undersized to be very successful as a full-time pf in the NBA. Maybe he could be something like Battier.

[Big_C_KU]

I'm leaning towards thinking Selden comes back. Selden could really use an offseason to refine his skills and improve his speed and athleticism. If he comes back I could see him being one of the better players in the nation a a top 10 pick.

Unless Embiid hits a wall and struggles big time in the 2nd half of the season I don't see him returning. I really expect him to go top 3 in next years draft.

Either way KU is gonna have an incredible lineup again with:

Tharpe
Selden
Oubre / Greene
Ellis
Alexander

KU is also still in a very strong position to sign Myles Turner, JaQuan Lyles, and/or Rashad Vaughn.

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[yesno]

Is anyone a sceptic?

He seems to be the total package, all his 'warts' seem very minor and standard for an 18yo big. I think given the questions over Wiggins and Parker, relatively minor as they are, why not go with the guy who seems to have just as much upside as anyone?

[boogie-reke]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4iSThcd_A8[/youtube]


This kid is just spectacular.

[crazy_me_87]

Is anyone a sceptic?

He seems to be the total package, all his 'warts' seem very minor and standard for an 18yo big. I think given the questions over Wiggins and Parker, relatively minor as they are, why not go with the guy who seems to have just as much upside as anyone?

even of you are a natural skeptic its hard to find arguments with him..

young athletic 7 footers always are hard to argue...

if that Big has Footwork and a Feel for the Game... oh boy...

wait he´s only playing BB for 2 years? o.O

seems a ultra hard working coachable kid..

tough to find anything to hold against that

[LloydFree]

Is anyone a sceptic?

He seems to be the total package, all his 'warts' seem very minor and standard for an 18yo big. I think given the questions over Wiggins and Parker, relatively minor as they are, why not go with the guy who seems to have just as much upside as anyone?

If you watched Embiid play for 10 minutes, it was obvious a month ago, that he was one of the top 1 or 2 prospects coming out this year. Anybody that doesn't have Embiid in their top 1-2, either hasn't seen him play, doesn't know what they're watching, or is being stubborn in their original thoughts.

[MellowRose]

1. Wiggins
2. Embiid
3. Jabari
4. Exum
5. Randle
6. Smart
7. Gordon
8. Vonleh
9. LaVine
10. Hood

Man, This draft class is gonna be crazy!

[DK-All Day]

1. Wiggins
2. Embiid
3. Jabari
4. Exum
5. Randle
6. Smart
7. Gordon
8. Vonleh
9. LaVine
10. Hood

Man, This draft class is gonna be crazy!

This.

This Draft class is so stacked that the bottom 5 in the top 10 would go top 5 in a regular draft. Sooo stacked.

[Bubstubbler]

Embiid put up 12/12/5b/3a today while shooting 3/5 on fg's and 6/7 on ft's.

SDSU double or triple teamed him whenever he touched the ball, which was definitely the correct strategy since KU's other starters shot a combined 9/40.

He didn't convert any jaw-dropping plays today, but his lefty drive with a sweeping lefty finger-roll was a 'holy cow' moment even though it didn't go.

He remains the clear-cut #1 prospect.

[EMG518]

Embiid put up 12/12/5b/3a today while shooting 3/5 on fg's and 6/7 on ft's.

SDSU double or triple teamed him whenever he touched the ball, which was definitely the correct strategy since KU's other starters shot a combined 9/40.

He didn't convert any jaw-dropping plays today, but his lefty drive with a sweeping lefty finger-roll was a 'holy cow' moment even though it didn't go.

He remains the clear-cut #1 prospect.

That lefty hook shot he took, with a few strides and jumping was so far out of reach of his defenders it was ridiculous. Im not sure anyone could have contested it. He also had a real nice spin move to that basket where he almost converted an and 1.

[flying_mollusk]

Saw a glimpse of that game yesterday, and one thing that really impressed me was how effectivley he can read and then pass out of the double team. He threw a laser pass to a shooter on the perimeter, who should have shot the three pointer, but didnt. This guy is going to be really good barring injuries.

[No-Man]

1. Wiggins
2. Embiid
3. Jabari
4. Exum
5. Randle
6. Smart
7. Gordon
8. Vonleh
9. LaVine
10. Hood

Man, This draft class is gonna be crazy!

This.

This Draft class is so stacked that the bottom 5 in the top 10 would go top 5 in a regular draft. Sooo stacked.

if that 5 guys were the top5 in any draft, it will be the worst draft of all time.

Smart, Gordon, Vonleh, LaVine, Hood...

People are overrating like hell this class, is good, no doubt, but not because of the depth, because of the top prospects.
After the top6-7 there is a MAJOR drop.

[cedric76]

1. Wiggins
2. Embiid
3. Jabari
4. Exum
5. Randle
6. Smart
7. Gordon
8. Vonleh
9. LaVine
10. Hood

Man, This draft class is gonna be crazy!

This.

This Draft class is so stacked that the bottom 5 in the top 10 would go top 5 in a regular draft. Sooo stacked.

if that 5 guys were the top5 in any draft, it will be the worst draft of all time.

Smart, Gordon, Vonleh, LaVine, Hood...

People are overrating like hell this class, is good, no doubt, but not because of the depth, because of the top prospects.
After the top6-7 there is a MAJOR drop.

Yeap, this class overall is overrated, there is no clear franchise player here

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[Ruzious]

I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. The draft was highly overrated, but it's still a bit above average. It's really a top 8 to me - I have Adams rated higher than everyone else has him. Gordon, Vonleh, and Hood don't belong in this year's top 8. Wiggins was overrated, but he's still an outstanding prospect. Jabari's coming off 2 bad games, but he's still going to step in as a rookie and score 20 plus a game, imo. Embiid's easily better than any big in last year's draft. Lavine's a more exciting prospect than any guard in last year's draft.

[No-Man]

I like Adams a lot, and I have him as a lock in the lottery, but I don't see him as a star prospect.
And yea, is a heavy top draft, with 3-4 legit prospects that could go 1 in any draft, but after that? is just a regular one.

People that think otherwise, are normally guys that buy the hype around guys like Vonleh or Gordon, is not that I dislike them as prospects, but they are not blue chippers, is just that simple, they are not better prospects than Cody Zeller or Anthony Bennett for example.

[tranjSAIC]

if that 5 guys were the top5 in any draft, it will be the worst draft of all time.

Smart, Gordon, Vonleh, LaVine, Hood...

Nah... That class would be better than 2000, and maybe last years class as well.

[SlowPaced]

People that think otherwise, are normally guys that buy the hype around guys like Vonleh or Gordon, is not that I dislike them as prospects, but they are not blue chippers, is just that simple, they are not better prospects than Cody Zeller or Anthony Bennett for example.

They're both better prospects than Zeller and Bennett. You're underestimating these guys. Both Vonleh and Gordon have elite athleticism and are easy to coach. Especially Vonleh can be an All-Star in the future, I'm not sold on Gordon just yet.

[Bubstubbler]

11/9/2b/2a today in 19 minutes

There were 2 noteworthy developments:

1) He showcased his sweet perimeter shooting stroke, opening the game with an 18' swish, and opening the 2nd half by swishing a 3 from the top of the arc. Later in the 2nd half he tried another 3 which went in and out. The guy has a really nice shot with excellent range (as his teammates have attested since the preseason when he was beating them in 3pt contests). He's like a Hakeem/MGasol mix with the perimeter shot of Sam Perkins.

2) He got kicked out for backhanding a K-State player in the face (looked like Embiid threw an elbow into the guy's chest, and as he did the back of his forearm continued on so that he hit the guy in the face with the back of his wrist). Some KU fans thought it should just be a Flagrant 1, but I thought he deserved to get kicked out. It's nice that he has a bit of a mean streak, but it's disappointing to see it come out in that way.

right-click and 'view image' to see the full pic below:

[Big_C_KU]

Loved the Embiid range.

What's really impressive with Embiid is how well he handles the double team. Another thing you wouldn't expect just a freshman, let alone one whose only been playing a few years, to be able to handle so well.

Really disappointed in losing his cool and smacking the KSU guard. He definitely deserved to be ejected.

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[24istheLAW]

The fact that he smacked that guy is a great thing as far as I'm concerned. Plenty of talented prospects fail to reach their potential because they don't have a mean streak. Now we know Embiid has one.