Michigan Basketball: Why former Wolverines are thriving in the NBA
Why former Michigan players are thriving in the pros
Have you ever noticed that although Michigan has had some good players come through the program in the last few years, these same players seemingly got even better in the pros? Yes, me too.
For instance, Franz Wagner was a good player at Michigan for his two years here. But he was marred by inconsistency and was rightfully ridiculed for it.
No, people didn’t need to be over-the-top with it, but you could see that Franz was uber talented and never quite took that next step at Michigan.
But now that he is in the pros, his game has taken off. He was in the conversation for Rookie of the Year, and is the Magic’s best player by far.
Imagine if this version of Franz played at Michigan all the time? Michigan would’ve assuredly beaten UCLA in the Elite Eight last year, and might’ve beaten Gonzaga to reach the natty too.
If we go back even further, we can look at Duncan Robinson. The guy came from Division III and came off the bench for Michigan and was Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year one year, but he never hit his true ceiling with Michigan.
Once he got to the NBA though (as an undrafted) his game took off, making over 750 career NBA 3-pointers so far, and is currently a starter for the Miami Heat (although he has regressed just a little bit).
The last example is Jordan Poole. When Jordan Poole was drafted in the first round, most Michigan fans were at least mildly surprised, because Jordan Poole was decent at Michigan, but it didn’t seem like he was a first round talent and he definitely should’ve come back and improved on some things, or so it seemed. Boy, were we wrong.
Jordan Poole has taken off this year, averaging 18.5ppg (top 30 in the league), 3.4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Plus he ripped off 30 points in the Warriors playoff opener with one of the best playoff debuts in franchise history. He also started 6-for-6.
For a guy that was known more for the ‘Shot Heard Round the World’ than his actual Michigan playing career, being a key player on the Golden State Warriors is amazing.