Last year the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Joel Embiid to be their next elite big man. The former Kansas star was a standout center entering the rookie season, but after being drafted he quickly underwent foot surgery that left him out of his entire rookie season. The 76ers were hoping he would on the same path as Nerlens Noel who had the same type of rookie season and return for a standout year, but Embiid suffered a setback that could alter draft plans.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Embiid suffered a setback in his recovery process and is out until further evaluation is done. This has the 76ers concerned that Embiid could easily miss the first two years of his NBA career, leaving the team to figure out a backup plan to the center. Embiid was reportedly feeling great after strength training and rehab, but scans showed things had yet to heal properly which will likely delay his professional debut.
The 76ers have the No.3 pick in the NBA Draft this year. According to ESPN's Chad Ford, the team was predicted to select either Emmanuel Mudiay or D'Angelo Russell to be the team's point guard, but now that might not be the case. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the 76ers will select either Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns if one of the players falls past the first two picks. Kristaps Porzingis is also gathering steam heading into the draft. He could be an option as he possesses the same abilities as Towns and Okafor. The 6'11 big man out of Latvia is impressing a lot of scouts and could be a potential lottery pick.
The 76ers could try to get a defender in free agency. After trading away Michael Carter-Williams last year, the team has been linked to Russell and Mudiay in a majority of the mock drafts. They could follow through with that plan while trying to win over a center in free agency. The 76ers could make moves for players like Brook Lopez, Tyson Chandler or Omer Asik. They will likely miss out on players like Marc Gasol or Greg Monroe considering how high the demand is for those players.
Philadelphia has time to make a decision. They do not want to give up on Embiid just yet, but there is a chance that he might turn out to be the next Greg Oden and next truly develop. His one season at Kansas was marred by injuries which does not give much hope that things will improve in Philadelphia.
