Big Board 10.0 | Mock Draft 6.0 | 360-degree Draft Profiles
The debate over the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA draft got even more complicated last weekend.
In something of a surprise move, all three of the top candidates for the No. 1 pick worked out in Southern California. Kansas' Joel Embiid and Duke's Jabari Parker worked out in Santa Monica in front of more than 100 NBA scouts and executives on Friday. On Sunday, Kansas' Andrew Wiggins worked out privately for me in Santa Barbara with trainer Drew Hanlen.
All three workouts were impressive, muddying the waters even further over whom the Cleveland Cavaliers should select with the first pick in the draft.
Workouts themselves are only a sliver of a much larger draft process. A player's performance on the court in real games obviously carries more weight. However, the workouts do matter. Teams look at what shape the players are in, how hard they go and whether they have worked on any of their deficiencies since the season ended.
They especially become important when teams are struggling to decide between players. They have, in the past, been the tiebreakers in close calls. In a draft that has three, maybe four, players worthy of the top pick, they are going to matter.
Here's what I learned in the workouts this weekend for all three players.