Michigan Basketball: What Charles Matthews return means for UM

Michigan basketball announced Charles Matthews decision to withdraw his name from the NBA draft Wednesday. But what does it mean for the Wolverines?

Just like last season, Michigan basketball got some good news on the deadline for early entrants to take their name out of the NBA draft. Last season, Moe Wagner decided to come back to UM and Wednesday, Charles Matthews made the same decision, announcing his return to the Wolverines through a school statement.

The news should comes as a relief to all Michigan basketball fans. The Wolverines certainly have talent outside of Matthews and some intriguing newcomers, but his presence will make a huge difference next season.

Essentially, Matthews is going to be the guy. He’s going to be the man and that should have played a role in his decision. Glen Robinson III passed up that chance a few years ago. Had he stayed, when Nik Stauskas and Mitch McGary left, he would have been the go-to-guy. He might have also been a first-round pick, so Matthews was right to make the choice he did.

After scoring 13 points a game last season, Matthews was a different player in the NCAA tournament. Matthews averaged 14.8 points per game and grabbed 6.8 boards. He was also named the Most Outstanding Player in the West Region. The junior scored 20 points against Montana, 18 against Texas A&M, 17 against Florida State and 17 against Loyola in the Final Four.

With Matthews back in the fold, UM can put together a strong starting lineup. Jon Teske will likely start at center, followed by Isaiah Livers, Matthews, Jordan Poole and Zavier Simpson. That’s a solid team with some legit tournament experience.

Then you add guys like Eli Brooks and Austin Davis, as well as a solid incoming class that features Brandon Johns, Ignas Brazdeikis and David DeJulius among others. Those will probably be the 10 guys in the rotation next season and with Matthews in the fold, it looks much more formidable.

And to be honest, it was the right choice. If Matthews had stayed and hired an agent, he may have gotten drafted, but it was iffy at best. He was not invited to the combine and even though he worked out for some teams, it would have been a huge leap of faith.

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Now, Matthews can focus on hanging more championship banners for Michigan basketball, while also improving his NBA draft stock at the same time. Sounds to me like it’s a win-win for everybody.