NBA Draft 2014 Rumors: Joel Embiid Still Undecided, Kansas Teammate Andrew Wiggins Takes Blake For NCAA Tournament Exit
By John Santisteban | Mar 23, 2014 11:43 PM EDT
Joel Embiid is projected as one of the possible top picks in the highly-anticipated 2014 NBA Draft, but the Kansas freshman center is still undecided about his future.
In an interview with ESPN, Embiid said that he will is planning to sit down with Kansas coach Bill Self and fellow Cameroonian Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who is his mentor, before making a decision about his NBA future.
"I'm not worried about that right now," Embiid said.
The 20-year-old center missed the 2014 NCAA Tournament due to back injury, which led to an early exit for the Jayhawks, who lost to the Stanford Cardinals in the third round on Sunday.
"I would have played in the Sweet 16," Embiid said after the loss. "Definitely, I could have played today. It was pretty hard watching them lose. I felt like I could have helped, but it is what it is."
Before sitting out in Kansas's previous games, Embiid was considered as a possible first-overall pick selection, but ESPN reported that his draft stock depends on the medical evaluations on his ailing back.
"According to multiple NBA executives, Embiid's draft stock will likely be determined by the medical evaluations on his back. However, it's unlikely he'd drop out of the top three picks -- unless the tests come back with alarming news," ESPN reported.
Embiid averaged 11.2 points to go along with 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in his freshman, and possibly only season with the Jayhawks.
Meanwhile, Embiid's Kansas teammate Andrew Wiggins took blame for the Jayhawks' early exit in this year's NCAA tournament.
Wiggins, who is averaging 17.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season, only had four points and four rebounds in 34 minutes against the Cardinals, who moved on to Sweet 16 with a 60-57 win.
"It hurts. I feel I let my team down, my coaches, my fans, Kansas fans, everybody," Wiggins said. "I wasn't there for my team. If I would have been there, we would have won for sure. If I would have played better, scored more, my team wins. I blame myself for this loss."
Wiggins is now back on top of most 2014 NBA Draft boards, including DraftExpress' mock draft, after being overshadowed by Embiid earlier this season.
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