Embiid may have the ultimate say
No one was a bigger attraction than Embiid this weekend. Teams haven't seen him play since he injured his back late in his freshman season. Embiid's decision to skip the combine caused a fair amount of consternation among NBA teams. Without seeing him in the athletic testing, and without a full physical from NBA doctors, the paranoia over Embiid's health reached a fever pitch in Chicago last weekend.
Embiid went a long way toward easing those doubts and reasserting himself as a legit contender, maybe even the favorite, to be the top pick in the draft.
Embiid went through a roughly 30-minute workout alongside former NBA center Will Perdue. While it was clear that Embiid was still working himself into shape after nearly eight weeks of rest for his back (he got very winded about 15 minutes into the workout and started to struggle to finish his dunks and shots), he still looked quick and made the 10-foot basket look like a Nerf hoop.
He was dunking everything, showing off his quickness in the paint and his impressive shooting touch with a series of midrange shots and step-backs. While NBA teams won't draft him to shoot jumpers, there's very little question that he has NBA shooting range.
Embiid's measurements, taken by his agency, the Wasserman Group, helped, as well. Embiid measured 7-foot-1 in shoes, with a 7-foot-5.75 wingspan and a crazy 9-foot-5.5 standing reach. That makes him the biggest player in the draft, and furthers the appeal for teams looking for a legit center.
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In Joel Embiid's case, weight gain has been seen as a positive by teams.
Embiid told me that he gained roughly 20 pounds the past two months, though he had lost five in the past three weeks since he began working out again. In his case, that's a good thing. Teams were worried that Embiid, at 250, was a little too light to play the post. The extra 15 pounds seems to have mostly gone to his butt and thighs, exactly were teams want it to go to help him create space and hold his position in the post.
Embiid also told me that his back was "100 percent" and that he was feeling no effects from his injury in March. That was confirmed by several sources who have been working with him in the gym the past few weeks.
"If anything, I think they were overcautious with him," one source said. "He could've played in the next round of the NCAA tournament had Kansas advanced. They were just making sure that the issue would completely go away. He's fine."
If that's true, then I think it will be very hard for the Cavs to pass on him. Players like Embiid don't come along very often and if he continues to impress, he has the chance to be the best center in the NBA someday. For a team that has a need at the 5 (Anderson Varejao is 32 and in the last year of his contract), he gives them both low-post offense and the rim protection that the Cavs have desperately lacked in the past.
However, there are still two major question marks that need to be answered.
First, will Embiid's agent, Arn Tellem, send him to Cleveland for a workout and allow the Cavs' doctors to give his back a full examination? The Cavs aren't going to just take Embiid's word on this. Their doctors will have to be comfortable with him. As of this weekend, Tellem was still in discussions with the Cavs on sending Embiid to Cleveland. Both sides expect to work out something that allows the Cavs to get to see Embiid.
Second, if Embiid is allowed to visit Cleveland and if the Cavs' doctors give him a clean bill of health, will new GM David Griffin and owner Dan Gilbert take him No. 1? A number of sources close to the Cavs confirm that they really like Embiid and in a vacuum, would likely take him No. 1. But the Cavs aren't in a vacuum. Gilbert has been adamant that he's tired of missing the playoffs and expects the team to make a playoff run this season. While Embiid may have the highest upside of any player in the draft, he also is the least NBA-ready of the three top prospects. Can Griffin afford to take, and will Gilbert sign off on taking, a player who is unlikely to make a major impact next season? Especially when the other two players on the board also have elite talent, and could make a more immediate impact?