Kansas freshman center Joel Embiid is slowly gaining reputation as the potential first pick in this year's class, overshadowing other prospects like teammate Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker with his height, athleticism and footwork that have led to comparisons with Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon.
The seven-footer has averages of 11 points and eight rebounds, yet many scouts believe he has the potential to become a future NBA star. His coach, Bill Self, has the same assessment.
''Joel has a chance to be an NBA all-star,'' Self told The Associated Press as posted in Yahoo! Sports. ''There's a lot of great players you recruit, and they have great careers for you. But do you look at them and say, 'He can be one of the best 24 players in the world?' He can be in that class."
Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford also vouches for the potential of the Cameroonian youngster, after watching him score 16 points, grab nine rebounds and anchor the Kansas defense against his team last weekend. Said Ford: ''Goodness, he's so talented. He's so good.''
An anonymous NBA scout said of Embiid: ''Amazing talent. I think he's the No. 1 prospect because of his steady improvement and being a freaky 7-foot athlete.''
Interestingly, Embiid only learned to play basketball several years ago. Like Olajuwon, his first love was soccer but switched to basketball to take advantage of his height. He joined a basketball camp run by Timberwolves forward Luc Mbah a Moute, one of only two players from Cameroon to have played in the NBA.
According to Mbah a Moute, the potential of Embiid is off the charts. "He was doing stuff that guys been playing basketball for years do. Some stuff that guys his size have trouble with, he was doing it with ease, like running in transition, catching the ball, spinning and finishing.''
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