It’s only February and it’s always risky to ask college players what their future plans are.
With rare exceptions like Andrew Wiggins –– who told Sports Illustrated this would be his only year on campus — or Marcus Smart — who said he would leave after his sophomore season after he chose not to depart following his freshman campaign — most athletes are going to keep their options open.
What else are they supposed to say besides some version of, “I’m not sure about the NBA. I’m focused on the season and my teammates and I’ll deal with that stuff after the year.”
Still, Joel Embiid , a native of Cameroon who has only played organized ball for a few years, did make some interesting comments to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, saying he is “strongly considering” returning to campus despite being projected by many as the No. 1 overall pick in June.
“I’m not even thinking about it right now,” Embiid told Goodman before Kansas beat Baylor 69-52 Tuesday night. “I’ll make a decision after the season, but I’m definitely considering coming back to school.”
Kansas coach Bill Self previously told Seth Davis that Embiid “can be an NBA All-Star eventually” and that Embiid and Wiggins have the highest ceilings of anyone he’s ever coached.
“He’s a bright young man and he’s going to weigh his options,” Self told Goodman of Embiid. “He’s considering coming back and he’s obviously also considering leaving. He can’t make a bad decision.”
NBA analyst Greg Anthony told SNY.tv that he thinks Embiid should return to campus and that he once played with a projected No. 1 pick in Larry Johnson who did just that.
“There’s a lot of guys who would’ve been the No. 1 pick [who stayed],” the former Knick point guard said. “I played with a guy who would’ve been the No. 1 pick as a junior, he didn’t come out. You don’t have to because what I tell a lot of these young kids is, this is not for your first contract, this is for your second and your third.
“Our league drafts potential, it doesn’t draft a polished, finished product. I think a lot of these kids are really, really good and really talented but a lot of them could use another year.”
If Embiid does decide to stay, it would have several implications going forward.
First, Kansas wouldn’t end up with the No. 1-2 picks in the Draft, and Wiggins or Jabari Parker of Duke would likely go No. 1 overall, with Australian point guard Dante Exum and Kentucky forward Julius Randle rounding out the top 4.
Second, Texas big man Myles Turner wouldn’t go to Kansas and could possibly end up at Texas, Duke or Oklahoma State.
And third, Embiid would likely get a whole lot better next season — assuming he doesn’t get injured — thereby helping both the Jayhawks and himself. Kansas also adds Kelly Oubre (to replace Wiggins) and Cliff Alexander, who could pair up front with Embiid in 2014-15.
**For more stories on Andrew Wiggins, click here.
