A Look Back At Michigan's First-Round NBA Draft Picks In The Beilein Era
With the 2017 NBA draft just one day away, Michigan head coach John Beilein is hoping to hear yet another one of his players’ names called in the first round. That player is redshirt sophomore D.J. Wilson, who decided to forego his final two years of eligibility in Ann Arbor. Recent projections have him trending upward mightily in the draft.
Sports Illustrated seems to be the highest on Wilson, projecting him at No. 21 overall to Oklahoma City. While that appears to be best case scenario, most seem to agree he will go either late in the first round or early in the second.
If he does wind up being selected in the first, he will become the Wolverines’ sixth first-round draft pick since 2013. Here’s a look back at the other five.
Trey Burke - No. 9 Overall to the Utah Jazz in 2013
Trey Burke had a tremendous two-year career at Michigan, leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten title as a freshman in 2012, and then to the national title game in 2013. Burke averaged 18.6 points per game and 6.7 assists in 2013, en route to winning the Naismith Award as the nation’s best player. Burke’s professional career has not gone smoothly so far, though, as he fell out of favor in Utah before eventually being traded to Washington in 2016.
Tim Hardaway Jr. - No. 24 Overall to the New York Knicks in 2013
Tim Hardaway Jr. produced right from the get-go at Michigan, averaging 13.9 points per game as a freshman in 2011, and 14.6 and 14.5 the next two seasons, respectively. He was a key cog to the Wolverines’ run to the 2013 national title, and decided to go pro after that magical year. Hardaway got off to a decent start in New York, but really picked it up once he was traded to Atlanta in 2015, averaging 14.5 points per game this past season.
Nik Stauskas - No. 8 Overall to the Sacramento Kings in 2014
Nik Stauskas averaged 11 points per game as a freshman at Michigan in 2013, before exploding during his sophomore campaign the following year. Stauskas led the Wolverines to an outright Big Ten title and Elite Eight appearance in 2014, while averaging 17.5 points per game. As a professional, the Canadian native spent one season in Sacramento before being traded to Philadelphia – his best season came this past year, as he averaged 9.5 points and 2.4 assists per game.
Mitch McGary - No. 21 Overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014
Unfortunately, Mitch McGary’s career at Michigan is filled with nothing but “what-if’s.” He exploded during the 2013 NCAA tournament, but played in just eight games the following year due to a back injury. After realizing he’d be suspended for the entire 2014-2015 season by the NCAA for a failed drug test, McGary decided to go pro – he faced even more drug problems in the NBA, though, and does not currently reside on anyone’s roster.
Caris LeVert - No. 20 Overall to the Brooklyn Nets in 2016
Caris LeVert is the only player on this list who played all four years at Michigan. His best season came in 2014, when he averaged 12.9 points per game and 4.3 rebounds, before injuries derailed his next two years. LeVert averaged 8.2 points and 3.3 boards as a rookie in Brooklyn this past season, and appears to have a bright future ahead of him.
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