The L.A. Lakers might nab Kansas center Joel Embiid with the seventh overall pick should other teams pass up on the injured center, according to the L.A. Daily News.
According to a source, the Lakers would consider getting Embiid should he become available. The Kansas center's draft stock is rapidly dropping after it was announced that he is undergoing surgery to treat a stress fracture in his right foot. Obviously teams that are picking ahead of the Lakers are now thinking twice about drafting Embiid with this development.
Still, the Lakers could grab the opportunity to select Embiid especially with many draft experts comparing him to Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, who led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in the 90's. Embiid was more of a defensive monster in college with an average of 2.6 blocks in his final year in Kansas. Yet many scouts believe he has the potential to become a legit post scorer like Olajuwon with his combination of size and agility.
Embiid was the consensus number one pick among many NBA observers, ahead of other top prospects like Duke's Jabari Parker and teammate Andrew Wiggins. But with his injury, it is not surprising that teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are thinking twice about drafting him. The Cavaliers will select first, to be followed by the Bucks and 76ers.
According to DraftExpress.com, Embiid is projected to land as the number four overall pick behind Wiggins, Parker, and Australian guard Dante Exum.
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