Next week’s predraft combine in Chicago will give prospects a chance to show off their skills for NBA clubs. Two players who have a chance of being the first selection in the draft, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid, declined their invites to participate in the combine, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Their absence isn’t likely to dramatically hinder their stock, but it does raise questions about Embiid’s back injury, Wojnarowski says. Here’s more on the combine and the 2014 draft:
- Front offices around the league took note that Parker wasn’t in great shape last season, so his absence from the combine might be a concern, relays Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (via Twitter).
- Andrew Wiggins is also unlikely to accept his combine invitation, passes along Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
- Chane Behanan, Sim Bhullar, Eric Moreland, Jakarr Sampson, and Roscoe Smith are some notable early entrants that weren’t invited to the combine, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
- David Nurse of Perfect Shots Shooting breaks down Embiid’s game and discusses his immense potential, noting he has the tools to excel at the next level but will need to work to refine his offensive game.