Duke forward Jabari Parker and Kansas center Joel Embiid are expected to land in the top three in the 2014 NBA Draft, but both college basketball stars are still undecided.
Chad Ford revealed in his latest ESPN Chat session that both Parker and Embiid are still weighing their options at this point, but sources indicated that both prospects are seriously considering returning to school.
"Both are seriously considering returning with Parker so much so that several scouts are claiming he's coming back to school," Ford said. "But I think that's premature. They have time. The deadline is April 27th to decide. However, if they declare after April 15th, there's no turning back. They'll lose their college eligibility."
Parker recently said that his college career is "incomplete" after Duke had their 2014 NCAA Tournament cut short by a 78-71 upset loss to the Mercer Bears in the second round of the tournament.
Ford sounded surprised that Parker, who averaged 19.1 points and 8.7 rebounds in his freshman season, is having doubts about turning pro, considering the fact that he is touted as the most NBA ready among the top prospects in the 2014 rookie draft.
"Parker is really NBA ready," Ford stressed. "He could obviously improve if he stayed, but he's a NBA starter from Day One. He'll get minutes and playing against the best competition is the best way to improve."
Ford added that Embiid's case is a bit different to Parker's situation.
Embiid averaged 11.2 points to go along with 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for Kansas in his freshman season. The Cameroonian center overshadowed his more celebrated teammate, Andrew Wiggins, earlier in the season.
Ford noted, though, that Embiid is still raw and there is a growing concern about his back, which forced him to miss the Kansas Jayhawk's NCAA tournament campaign.
"Embiid is a little different," Ford said. "He's rawer and may not see the minutes Parker would see as a NBA rookie. He also has a big unknown with his back that could affect his draft stock if NBA doctors get wary. He would probably benefit more than Parker from returning for another year of college, but it's really hard to turn down a Top 3 pick."
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