Michigan Basketball: Charles Matthews is crazy if he stays in NBA Draft
Michigan basketball coach John Beilein talked about Charles Matthews draft prospects Tuesday. And, it seems Matthews would be wise to stay at UM.
With the new NBA draft rules, it makes sense to test the waters. That’s exactly what Michigan basketball star Charles Matthews is doing. He declared for the draft, but didn’t hire an agent.
Because of that, he has until May 30 with withdraw his name and officially return to Michigan basketball. And at this point, unless things change quickly and drastically, he would be crazy to keep his name in the draft.
Certainly, Matthews has pro potential. But he also has a lot of room to grow. His jumper needs a lot of work and even though he averaged 13.6 points a game, his offensive game has to improve. There is no question, he took his game to the next level in the NCAA’s — now I’d like to see him do it for an entire season.
That’s the best part for Matthews, if he returns to Michigan basketball, he will be the guy. Moe Wagner was the man in 2017-18 and he should have been. Now, it can be Matthews turn to shine and to carry the team. He did at times during the tournament, with his stellar play on both ends. But can he keep it up for 40-some games? Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to find out.
Matthews 31-percent clip from 3-point range isn’t going to help him. That’s a number that needs to improve. His mid-range game also needs to get better. Currently, he’s comparable to Glen Robinson III, who left Michigan and went in the second round.
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Unfortunately, Matthews isn’t as well regarded as Big Dog III, in fact he wasn’t even invited to the pre-draft combine. Last year, Wagner did the same thing. But he got a combine invitation and still returned to UM.
Beilein said Matthews has had some workouts and why wouldn’t he? He’s athletic, has decent size, is a good defender and has potential. But that doesn’t mean he will get drafted.
He could certainly follow the path of Derrick Walton Jr. if he’s not picked. He can earn his way through summer league and the preseason and maybe earn a two-way contract between the NBA and G-League.
But at this point, it seems like his chances or getting drafted hover around 50-50. And those numbers might be inflated. But, if Matthews returned and shined for the Wolverines, his stock would certainly improve. He would be easy second-round pick then.
Matthews would be able to show he can carry an offense and score in a bunch of different ways. He knows how to get to the basket and really, he could easily be All-Big Ten in 2018-19.
Michigan basketball will have other good players. Guys like Jordan Poole, Isaiah Livers, Zavier Simpson and some incoming freshman will all look to garner minutes and shoulder some of the scoring load. However, if Matthews is back, he will be the go-to-guy, without question.
In his first full season under Beilein, he took some tremendous steps forward. Just imagine how good he could be with one more year. That’s why at this point, if Matthews doesn’t return, he must be crazy.
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Matthews was right to test the waters. But he should also realize what the tea leaves are telling him. The NBA isn’t super high on him yet. However, another standout season with Michigan, might just be able to change all that.