Tag Archives: Serge Ibalka

Joel Embiid

Center  –  7′-1″  –  255lbs  –  Age – 20  –  Kansas  –  FR.

Reach  – 9’5.5    –  Wingspan  –  7’5.75    Max Vert  –  ??

Averages  –  11.2 PPG-8.1 RPG-1.4 APG-2.6BLK-62.6%FG-20%(3FG)-68.5%FT

Draft Projection: Top 3 – if healthy should be the number #1 overall pick

Strengths           

A true center that has a solid all-around game for only having played basketball for the three to four years. Can face up or play with his back to the basket. His best years are ahead of him, as his ceiling is extremely high.

His length and athleticism make him a defensive presence, a rim protector. Not only will he block shots, he will alter and change them. He’s an eraser in the paint and will be the anchor of your defense.

He’s is an above average rebounder who will battle for boards in traffic.

He plays with a little nastiness on defense, he doesn’t mind mixing it up a little.

A good athlete who can run the floor and has above average footwork for a 7-footer with limited experience. Plays with good energy and effort.

His jumper is solid for a 7-footer and showed range out to the college 3-point line. Has a decent touch for a big guy and can finish around the hoop with either hand.

He’s not a liability at the free throw line as he made almost 70% from the charity stripe at Kansas.

His ball handling is above average for a man of his size and should only get better with practice and more experience.

Weaknesses     

Has to get in the weight room and get stronger and put on some pounds.

The Cameroon native lacks the practice and in game experience at this point in his career because he hasn’t played a lot of basketball compared to the other potential top picks in the draft.

His basketball IQ isn’t the greatest either as he falls for a lot of pump fakes and that lands him in foul trouble. But again that comes from his lack of game experience.

His biggest weakness though and the major concern is the health of his back. After only 28 games at Kansas he had to shut it down because of a stress fracture in his back. Embiid and his agent say he’s 100% healthy now, but no team is going to believe that until they put him through their own thorough physical. Teams are going to want to find out if this could be a chronic injury or just a one-time thing. Bigs and bad backs aren’t a good mix, especially if you’re thinking of using the number #1 overall pick on a 7-footer.

Roda Thoughts:  If 100% healthy, to me and other NBA people that’ I’ve talked to, there’s not a player in this draft who could be more more of a force and dominant his position if he hits his ceiling than Embiid. If his back is not an issue, and he continues to progress at the pace that he has, the sky is the limit for the 7-footer from Cameroon.  Joel Embiid could end up being not only a game changer, but a franchise savior. I’ve heard NBA comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon to Serge Ibaka to Tim Duncan. So I went back and compared Embiid’s freshman numbers to those of Olajuwon and Duncan and I’ll leave you with those stats as you, just like David Griffin and the Cavaliers, make up your mind as to whether or not Embiid deserves to be the Number #1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft just like Olajuwon and Duncan were!

FRESHAMN STATS IN COLLEGE:

Embiid              11.2ppg  –  8.1rpg  –  2.6blk  –  62%fg  –   20%(3fg)  –  68%ft

Olajuwon          8.3ppg    –  6.2rpg  –  2.5blk  –  61%fg  –   00%(3fg)  –  56%ft

Duncan             9.8ppg    –  9.6rpg  –  3.8blk  –   54%fg  –  100%(3fg) –  74%ft