Michigan basketball's Franz Wagner in top 10, Isaiah Livers goes Round 2 in NBA mock draft
Michigan basketball could have multiple NBA draft picks this summer, according to ESPN.
In a mock draft released Thursday morning, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz projected Franz Wagner to be taken in the first round with the No. 9 overall pick and Isaiah Livers to be selected in the second round at No. 47.
Compared to the previous version of ESPN's mock draft, both Wagner and Livers moved up: Wagner was previously projected as the No. 20 pick and Livers as the No. 50 pick in a mock draft from Feb. 2.
Neither player has publicly announced whether they will enter the draft or return to school.
Wagner, a sophomore forward, could be Michigan's highest draft selection since Nik Stauskas was taken No. 8 overall in 2014, and the program's first first-round pick since Jordan Poole was drafted No. 28 overall in 2019. He could be the second member of his family to be taken in the first round, too, as older brother Moritz (who also played at Michigan) was drafted No. 25 overall by the Lakers in 2018.
The sophomore forward from Germany started all 28 games this past season, averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, three assists, 1.3 steals and one blocks. Listed at 6 feet 9, 220 pounds, Wagner was one of the top defenders in the Big Ten, disrupting opposing teams with his on-ball defense, instincts and length.
Livers also played well this past season, averaging 13.1 points, six rebounds and two assists while shooting 43.1% from 3-point range. But his season was cut short by a stress injury to his right foot that forced Livers to miss the entire NCAA tournament. He recently underwent a successful surgery on the right foot, with the program announcing his recovery time would be six months at the least. That would prevent Livers from attending the NBA draft combine in June and the rest of the pre-draft process.
Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Where Michigan's Franz Wagner, Isaiah Livers are projected in NBA draft
