5. Joel Embiid (Kansas)
Even as a five-star recruit joining a college basketball program with a long history of producing NBA Draft lottery selections, Joel Embiid was all but overlooked by the rest of the college and NBA world, being overshadowed by his ballyhooed one-and-done teammate Andrew Wiggins. But after his one season with the University of Kansas Jayhawks, nearly everyone in the NBA began asking themselves if they would — or should — take Embiid even ahead of Wiggins in the 2014 NBA Draft.
But after suffering a late-season foot injury right before the draft, Embiid fell to the third pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and missed almost the entirety of his first two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. But once he got on the court, he quickly transformed into one of the best centers in the NBA, if not one of the best players.