Michigan Basketball: 5 Wolverines taking part in NBA playoffs

Michigan basketball has five former players taking part in the NBA playoffs and here’s what you need to know as the postseason starts tonight. 

The 2021 NBA playoffs are getting underway Tuesday with the play-in tournament and with five Wolverines set to be part of the action, Michigan basketball fans have plenty to root for.

One former Wolverine will be playing Tuesday in the Eastern Conference play-in games and that’s Caris LeVert, who is playing for Indiana. The ninth-seeded Pacers will face 10th-seeded Charlotte (6 PM EST).

LeVert started the season in Brooklyn but was traded to Indiana. In 35 games, he averaged 20.7 points in 35 games this season and also scored 30 or more points multiple times.

He was also a key part of the Pacers making the postseason, although they still need to win two games in order to become the No. 8 seed. Indiana needs to beat Charlotte and either Boston or Washington on Thursday to get the final spot.

Also taking part in the play-in tournament will be Jordan Poole for the Warriors. He scored a career-high over the weekend and has grown in leaps and bounds in his second season.

Poole, the second-year player out of Michigan, will be part of the Warriors’ effort as the No. 8 seed. The Warriors will open against the Lakers Wednesday and a win would give them the No. 7 seed.

If Golden State loses, it will have a chance to lock up the eighth seed with a win over Memphis or San Antonio, the 9-10 seeds in the Western Conference.

Several Wolverines already in NBA playoffs

Duncan Robinson’s rise has been pretty well-documented with the Miami Heat, yet you might not know that Robinson was the fastest in NBA history player to reach 500 3-point field goals.

In his third season, Robinson averaged 13.1 points per game and started all 72 games for the Heat, while hitting 41 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Miami won’t open the playoffs until at least this weekend. The sixth-seeded Heat will battle third-seeded Milwaukee. Robinson and company upset the Bucks on their way to the NBA Finals last season, so maybe history will repeat itself.

Lastly, the Dallas Mavericks or Michigan basketball south, since Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., are both on the roster, will start the Western Conference playoffs as the five seed against the Clippers.

It doesn’t get talked about enough, but Hardaway has become a stellar NBA player. In 70 games this season, Hardaway scored 16 points a game and shot 39 percent from beyond the arc.

Burke averaged 6.6 points this season but scored 29 points in one outing, including seven 3-pointers and a 7-for-8 showing overall from deep.

So, if you’re in withdrawals from no Michigan basketball, check out the NBA playoffs, because there are Wolverines all over the place.