Michigan Basketball: Don’t panic about Hunter Dickinson, NBA draft

Michigan basketball star Hunter Dickinson declared for the 2021 NBA draft on Wednesday, but here’s why fans shouldn’t freak out. 

For Michigan basketball fans, it would be really easy to freak out about Hunter Dickinson’s decision to enter the 2021 NBA draft.

The here-we-go-again attitude is often prevalent among Michigan fans and for good reason — there has been a lot of heartbreak over the years.

So it was understandable that when Dickinson, one of the best things to happen to Michigan basketball since maybe Trey Burke, announced he was declaring for the draft when many assumed he would be back at U-M, it caused a bit of a panic.

Surely, it wasn’t the news Michigan basketball fans wanted on Wednesday, but in the grand scheme of things, it shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise.

It’s also not time to panic and here’s why.

Hunter Dickinson’s return is still likely

The NBA draft is different than the NFL draft. For one, as college basketball fans know, you can declare for the draft, get evaluated, and all that, while still keeping your college eligibility.

Dickinson chose an NCAA-approved firm to represent him during this process, which ensured that he would be able to return to the Wolverines.

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So that’s a positive thing. Isaiah Livers and Moritz Wagner have also gone through this process over the years and returned. Others, such as Iggy Brazdeikis didn’t and that’s a possibility with Dickinson especially if his draft stock is higher than some might believe.

Right now, it seems like he would be a borderline second-round pick. Last year, he was outstanding, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds per game. Yet, as the Elite 8 loss to UCLA showed, Dickinson has to develop a right hand and also show a more diversified scoring profile.

Overpowering guys to get to your left hand isn’t going to work consistently in the NBA. Dickinson knows that and so does Juwan Howard.

This will be a great chance for Dickinson to get evaluated and get feedback for next season and the 2022 NBA draft, which I fully expect him to be part of.

As far as 2021 is concerned, you can never say with certainty, but I’d expect Dickinson back in Ann Arbor next season. So as far as this announcement, I wouldn’t panic. At least not yet.