Bill Simmons thinks Joel Embiid’s back is fine. A couple anonymous scouts think Embiid’s back is fine. Embiid says his back is fine.
But Simmons doesn’t hold a top pick in the draft. The scouts don’t necessarily hold a top pick in the draft. And Embiid doesn’t hold a top pick in the draft.
So, their opinions matter only so much.
Billy McKinney’s carries a little more weight. He’s the director of scouting for the Bucks, who have the No. 2 pick.
Andrew Gruman of FOX Sports Wisconsin:
You know what’s cooler than going No. 2? Going No. 1.
That’s why Embiid will grant Cleveland a physical.
The Cavaliers will visit with former Kansas center Joel Embiid sometime in the coming weeks and conduct a physical, a source told ESPN.
Embiid won’t visit another team until the Cavaliers are given a chance to determine if they will select Embiid with the top pick in the NBA draft on June 26.
Embiid looking good in physical is an important step given how his freshman year at Kansas ended. He needed to overcome his injury in the short term.
More importantly: How much more likely is Embiid to suffer another back injury than other players? That’s the question teams considering drafting him must answer. They don’t want him for the present as much as the future.
More in-depth medical tests, like Cleveland is conducting, will help answer. But it’s still an inexact science, and Embiid’s back should continue to be a topic of discussion for the Cavaliers, Bucks, 76ers, Magic or any other team near the top of the draft – no matter how good Embiid looks in workouts.