Tuesday's first round was a resounding success for Michigan basketball. Once a new coach is announced, they can advertise these accomplishments to future recruits who want to play in Ann Arbor. It also cements the legacy of the greatest Michigan team to ever exist.
The Wolverines became the first team since 2007 to have three first-round draft picks, with none of them being freshman. So it was a historic night, setting a Michigan basketabll record for lottery picks.
Here are three takeaways.
3 pivotal takeaways
Tuesday night proved again that Dusty May was a once in a lifetime coach
Monday's heartbreaking news that rocked the basketball planet about Dusty May was short-lived. On Tuesday Michigan fans were reminded about how great of a coach he turned out to be in just two years that flew by. Three lottery picks and he probably could have had another one in Trey McKenney, had he declared.
In Dallas, he'll get to hone the game of Morez Johnson Jr. and build around Cooper Flagg. May and the Mavericks closed the first round by taking a player whom he saw in person at the Final Four, in Koa Peat. Dallas immediately then traded Peat for an international sharpshooter who reminded some of Duncan Robinson.
Everyone is going to miss May regardless of who the next coach is. Whomever gets to fill his shoes has some unenviable standards to live up to.
First-round 2026 NBA Draft picks by school 🏀 pic.twitter.com/A2QqKJeSsj
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) June 24, 2026
Draymond Green has to coexist with another Wolverine in Golden State
The last time Golden State drafted a Michigan basketball player, they traded him because Green and Jordan Poole got into an altercation. Now Green is on his last legs in the league, while Yaxel Lendeborg has rookie of the year intentions. ESPN has already listed the Big Ten player of the year as Green's primary backup. This isn't as big a risk as it was when they took Poole in the past.
Playing Aday Mara and Chet Holmgren together is like pairing Danny Wolf with Vlad Goldin
Oklahoma City is taking a page out of the Dusty May playbook and pitting two 7-footers on the same team. This selection is a pure response to losing to Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in the Western finals. Mara gives the Thunder a third body who can help guard the 7-foot-4 freak of nature.
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