Reports emerged on Thursday that the Cleveland Cavaliers will probably not take former Kansas Jayhawks center Joel Embiid with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, as the organization is “extremely leery of potential long-term back issues”, according to Fox Sports’ Sam Amico.
But, after you see video of Embiid’s workout that took place in front of league executives on Friday in Santa Monica, you wonder if the Cavs may change their stance on the seven-footer (if the reports are accurate, of course). Embiid looked awesome, and his back definitely did not appear to be an issue at all.
Yahoo/Fox Sports NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was on hand for the workout, and tweeted how he couldn’t see anyone passing on Embiid with the No. 1 pick:
Watching Joel Embiid in workout for league executives in Santa Monica. Impossible to imagine passing on him at No. 1.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) May 23, 2014
ESPN NBA draft insider Chad Ford was also in attendance at the workout, and like Woj, was extremely impressed with Embiid:
Embiid quickly re-asserting claim to # 1 pick here. Added muscle, still has quick feet & a beautiful jumper. No evidence of back issues — Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) May 23, 2014
If the Cavs choose to select Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, either the Milwaukee Bucks (No. 2 pick) or Philadephia 76ers (No. 3 pick) will surely be thrilled to land Embiid. The bottom line is it’s a pretty fantastic year to be picking in the top-three of the NBA Draft.
