Michigan Basketball: Former Wolverines excelling in the bubble

It’s playoff time in the NBA “bubble” and former Michigan basketball players are excelling.

The NBA has returned to play and the playoffs officially started this past Monday. There are four former Michigan basketball players that are still playing and contributing to their team’s success.

Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. for the Mavericks, Duncan Robinson for the Heat, and Caris Levert for the Nets. Three of the four are starting for their respective teams with Trey Burke coming off the bench, in Dallas.

It’s a small sample size, but let’s take a look at how each player is doing in their first-round playoff series.

Caris Levert

Caris Levert and the Brooklyn Nets are facing off against the defending champion Toronto Raptors in the first round. The Raptors are a tough matchup for any team as they look to repeat as NBA champs.

Levert has been the Nets’ top scoring option in the bubble. Caris has 31 points in the first two games. He hasn’t shot the ball particularly well going 10-36 from the floor.

He has been doing a great job getting his teammates involved, dishing out 26 assists.

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke

Tim Hardaway Jr and Trey Burke have been key members of the Dallas team that is trying to knock off the Los Angeles Clippers. Seeing Burke and Hardaway Jr on the floor together brings back great memories of their time at Michigan, where they were headaches for opposing teams.

Through two games, the series is tied 1-1. Hardaway Jr. has done what he has done since his playing days at Michigan — score the basketball.

The former Wolverine has scored 35 points in the first two games. He is 7-18 from behind the long line. Dallas will need his shooting to complete the upset of the Clippers.

Trey Burke has a very important role for the Mavericks. He is in charge of the offense when Luka Doncic comes off the floor.

In the second game of the series, Doncic got into some foul trouble and only played 28 minutes. Burke came into the game and was able to penetrate the Clippers defense and score, almost at will.

He ended the game with 16 points on 7-11 shooting and was a big reason why the Mavericks were able to tie the series.

There were a few players that took notice of Burke’s impressive performance:

Burke showed that he can pick up the slack when Luka is on the bench for long stretches. His performance Wednesday night will give Rick Carlisle confidence when he calls his name.

Duncan Robinson

Duncan Robinson has carved out a big role for the Miami Heat this season. He has become one of the best three-point shooters in the league helping Miami to the playoffs. Robinson flashed this ability during his time at Michigan but he has taken his game to a whole new level.

The Heat have a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Indiana Pacers, with a lot of help from Duncan.

Robinson had a relatively quiet game 1, scoring 6 points on 2-8 shooting. In Game 2, Duncan hit three treys in the first 90 seconds of the game. He went on to score 24 points on 7-8 shooting from deep.

I expect the Heat to look to get him involved and in a groove early in game 3 as well. His shooting ability does wonders for the rest of the offense as well.

Duncan’s shooting has really helped the Heat’s offense this season and that is no different in the bubble.