Victor Wembanyama makes more history; Caitlin Clark declares for WNBA Draft

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🏀 Good morning to everyone but especially …

JOEL EMBIID AND THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Don’t ask when, just be happy it’s expected to happen. In his first post-knee surgery press conference, Joel Embiid says he plans to return this season, but with “really no timeline” for said return.

Embiid, 29, hasn’t played since Jan. 30, when he sustained a displaced flap of the meniscus in his left knee. Reports earlier this week said he could target a late-March return, which would give him a few weeks before the end of the regular season.

Philadelphia is 26-8 with Embiid in the lineup this year and just 7-17 without him. The 76ers have have lost 12 of their last 16 games, falling into sixth in the Eastern Conference with no games separating them from the Magic in seventh and the Pacers in eighth. Embiid said he would push to return no matter what his team’s record is.

Embiid’s potential return, especially given his injury history, is high-risk, high-reward, James Herbert notes.

• Herbert: “Embiid was playing at an MVP level before the injury, averaging a league-high 35.3 points and a career-high 5.7 assists and thriving in Nick Nurse’s offense. … Whether or not he actually gets to make an impact in the near term is still TBD. The regular season is more than 70% complete, and the postseason starts in seven weeks. Embiid is in a race against time, and rehab is a risky thing to rush.”

Embiid maintained he still wants to play in the Olympics, where he’s among several reported locks (if healthy) for Team USA.

👍 Honorable mentions

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 Caitlin Clark declares for WNBA Draft

With her eyes still very much on the prize(s) ahead, Caitlin Clark is prepared for the next step. The Iowa superstar declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft, where she’s expected to go No. 1 overall to the Fever.

Clark has 3,650 career points, 17 behind Pete Maravich for most in major-division college basketball. In the last month alone, Clark has broken Kelsey Plum‘s women’s NCAA career scoring record and Lynette Woodard‘s women’s major-division college basketball career scoring record.

There’s still plenty to do team-wise for Clark, who will hope to avenge last season’s title game loss to LSU. But with the WNBA Draft on April 15 — eight days after the NCAA Tournament ends — the Fever will be ecstatic she entered. Indiana has the top pick for the second straight year, and Clark should be a franchise pillar alongside last year’s No. 1 pick, Aaliyah Boston, Jack Maloney writes.

🏈 NFL Combine: Chop Robinson shines as DL, LBs test

The first day of 2024 NFL Combine on-field testing has come and gone, and if you blinked, you may have missed Chop Robinson. The Penn State edge prospect was the talk of the town after an awesome display.

• 6-foot-2 and 7/8 inches tall, 254 pounds
  
• 4.48-second 40-yard dash
• 10-foot, 8-inch broad jump

Those measurements put him in select company: Robinson joined Vernon Davis (a tight end) as the only players over the last 20 years to weigh at least 250 pounds, run a sub-4.50 and jump more than 10 and a half feet. Furthermore, Robinson’s 10-yard split of 1.54 seconds was the fastest on record by an edge rusher of at least 250 pounds.

Robinson is currently the No. 21 overall prospect in CBS Sports’ consensus prospect rankings, and that could certainly rise. As for other notable performances, Josh Edwards and Chris Trapasso handed out grades, winners and losers.

• Dallas Turner (Grade: A) — “Turner measured sub 6-foot-3-inches and 247 pounds on Thursday, but his lack of ideal height was neutralized by his 34 3/8″ arm length. His athletic testing was off the charts with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, as well as a 1.54 second 10-yard split. He leaped out of the stadium with a 40.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-7-inch broad jump.”
• Braden Fiske: winner — “Fiske ranked first among defensive linemen in the 40-yard dash (4.78 seconds), 10-yard split (1.68 seconds) and broad jump (9-feet-9-inches). He also was third in the vertical jump with 33.5 inches.”
• Payton Wilson: winner — “It is a joy watching a fully healthy Wilson. Over the course of his collegiate career, he suffered two torn ACLs and a significant shoulder injury. … The ACC Defensive Player of the Year added his stellar testing to an already decorated on-field resume. His 4.43-second 40-yard dash was the fastest of the day.”

Here’s more:

😤 Victor Wembanyama takes over late, Spurs top Thunder

Every night he plays, Victor Wembanyama does something so marvelous, so unprecedented, so patently absurd that all you can do is laugh. And most nights, he ends up on the losing end. But when the Spurs win, Wembanyama’s dominance reaches an even higher plane. And Thursday was one of those times, Colin Ward-Henninger writes.

The rookie sensation had 28 points (including five 3-pointers), 13 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks in a 132-118 win over the Thunder. Here are the accolades:

• First player ever with 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and five 3-pointers in a game
• Third game with 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five rebounds, passing Tim Duncan and David Robinson (both Spurs legends) for most by a rookie in NBA history
• First rookie ever with five blocks and five 3-pointers in a game

Wembanyama’s final block was on fellow rookie star Chet Holmgren, a fitting ending, Colin writes.

• Ward-Henninger: “The victory seems all the more significant since Holmgren is Wembanyama’s primary competition for Rookie of the Year. While the OKC big man had the early lead in the race, partly due to his team’s success, Wembanyama’s play over his last 25 games entering Thursday night (23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and 3.5 blocks in fewer than 28 minutes per game) has made it clear that it’s his award to lose.”

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

🏀 Mavericks at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 21 Dayton at Loyola Chicago (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Bucks at Bulls, 10 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

🏀 No. 24 Florida at No. 18 South Carolina (M), noon on ESPN
🏀 No. 7 Kansas at No. 15 Baylor (M), 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 13 Illinois at Wisconsin (M), 1 p.m. on BTN
🏀 Arkansas at No. 16 Kentucky (M), 1:30 p.m. on CBS
🏀 No. 5 Marquette at No. 12 Creighton (M), 2:30 p.m. on Fox
🏒 Panthers at Red Wings, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏀 NC State at No. 9 North Carolina (M), 4 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Mississippi State at No. 11 Auburn (M), 4 p.m. pm ESPN2
🏀 Jazz at Heat, 5 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Virginia at No. 10 Duke (M), 6 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 1 Houston at Oklahoma (M), 8 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Michigan State at No. 2 Purdue (M), 8 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 4 Tennessee at No. 14 Alabama (M), 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 New Mexico at Boise State (M), 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Nuggets at Lakers, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 23 Gonzaga at No. 17 Saint Mary’s, 10 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday

🏀 Seton Hall at No. 3 UConn (M), noon on CBS
🏀 Tennessee at No. 1 South Carolina (W), noon on ESPN
🏀 76ers at Mavericks, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 2 Ohio State at No. 6 Iowa, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Indiana at Maryland (M), 2 p.m. on CBS
🏀 No. 22 Louisville at No. 17 Notre Dame (W), 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Warriors at Celtics, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏒 Devils at Kings, 3:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Michigan at Ohio State (M), 4 p.m. on CBS
🏀 No. 5 Virginia Tech at Virginia (W), 6 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 Knicks at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ USWNT vs. Colombia, 8:15 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 Thunder at Suns, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN