Michigan Basketball: Drafted or not, Isaiah Livers has path to NBA

Multiple Michigan basketball players are hoping to be picked in the 2021 NBA draft but even if Isaiah Livers isn’t drafted, he can make the league. 

Michigan basketball fans will have plenty of reason to watch the 2021 NBA draft on Thursday night.

For one, there are probably quite a few crossover fans who also follow the Detroit Pistons — the team with the No. 1 overall pick. But even if you aren’t a fan of Detroit, Michigan basketball is expected to have a lottery pick in Franz Wagner and maybe multiple players selected.

Wagner is looking like a top-10 pick on Thursday and while Isaiah Livers isn’t going to be a lottery selection or even a first-round pick, there’s a solid chance he goes in the second round via The Wolverine:

"“The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Livers heading to the Toronto Raptors at No. 47 overall in the second round, while Givony projects him as heading to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 50 and RookieWire.com’s Cody Taylor predicts he gets taken by the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 53. It’s worth mentioning that only four of the eight examined mock drafts included second-round projections, with Livers’ name appearing in three.”"

Livers was projected to go in three of four two-round mock drafts and his shooting ability is the biggest reason why. He’s a 6-foot-7 forward and shot 41 percent from 3-point range during his career, including three straight seasons of shooting better than 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Livers can follow in Duncan Robinson’s footsteps

People will make the comparison to Duncan Robinson and while the two are different players, they could take a similar path to the NBA.

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Robinson wasn’t drafted but he proved his way in the G-League. He eventually earned a contract from the Heat and played his way into the starting lineup.

I’m not saying Livers will ever be a starter or a 20-million-a-year player as Robinson is about to become. But NBA teams need 3-point shooting and Livers can provide it.

If he wasn’t injured during the season, he could have helped Michigan win a national title. But also, it prevented him from working out for teams.

NBA teams can still get a good feel for what he does, but that might hurt his ability to be drafted.

I believe he’ll be an NBA player at some point down the road and some smart NBA team might just draft him Thursday night.

But if not, it won’t be the end, just like it won’t be the end for Chaundee Brown, who also has a chance to make it as a three-and-D player.