Updated 04:47 AM EDT, Thu, Mar 28, 2024

NBA Draft 2014 Rumors: Joel Embiid Undecided, Andrew Wiggins Expected to Declare Despite March Madness Exit

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Joel Embiid could be the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but the Kansas freshman center is still undecided if he'll stay for his sophomore season in college.

In an interview with ESPN, Embiid said that he is not yet thinking about his NBA future, saying that he is planning to talk to his coaches and his mentor Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who is playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves, before making a decision.

"I'm not worried about that right now," Embiid said when asked about his plan to join the draft.

Embiid averaged 11.2 points to go along with 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks during the regular season, but he missed the Jayhawks' campaign in the Big 12 and NCAA Tournament due to an ailing back.

The 20-year-old center was scheduled to play in the Sweet 16 of this year's tournament, but the Stanford Cardinals knocked the Jayhawks off in the third round with a hard-earned 60-57 win.

"I would have played in the Sweet 16," Embiid said. "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."

The Cameroon native was on top of most draft boards before hurting his back. Reports indicated that he would still end up within the top three, but it all depends on how teams will view his back injury.

"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.

While Embiid is still unsure about his NBA future, his freshman teammate Andrew Wiggins is expected to declare for this year's draft.

After losing to the Cardinals, Wiggins said that he did not expect his collegiate career to end this early, expressing disappointment about his performance against Stanford. Wiggins posted just four points and four rebounds in 34 minutes of playing time.

"It hurts. I feel I let my team down, my coaches, my fans, Kansas fans, everybody," Wiggins told KU Sports. "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."

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