Michigan head coach John Beilein would have loved to have D.J. Wilson back for his redshirt junior year, but the coach will root hard for his former standout now that he’s headed to the NBA. Though caught a bit off guard by Wilson’s quick ascent this year, Beilein isn’t surprised that his forward is now being considered a late first round pick.
He even saw the potential when Wilson was still in high school.
“Here’s what we try to predict in recruiting — who has maximized and is where they should be, and who is still growing?” Beilein said on the Doug Gottleib show. “During times in the year there were no questions in my mind he could be a pro. The last six, seven games he was embracing contact really well.
“He’s just on his way to being a really good player. He can really shoot. Put it together with his defense … he’s 21 with a body of a 19-year-old. The best is yet to come for him. He’s a super kid on and off the court, very coachable. Whoever gets him is going to be very fortunate.”
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas has Wilson going toward the end of the first round, based largely on potential.
“He’s very talented, another guy you don’t know where he gets his arms from … how he finds shirts. His wingspan is like 7-3, incredible,” Bilas said. “He made a really big jump from his sophomore to junior year, productive in a lot of different areas. He’s an excellent finisher around the rim, a big time athlete. He can drive it, shoot threes, has shown a very good skill level.
“He’s never, even dating back to high school, been a dominant scorer, but he’s done a little bit of everything. I think he’s a good prospect, but still coming along, not a finished product …like most of these guys not a finished product, even though he’s a little older than some of the other guys.”
Beilein might be frustrated by the early entries, but he isn’t showing it outwardly. Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Darius Morris, Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson … the list goes on.
“The kids are playing well. They are getting these other opportunities to play in the pros, and you just have to continue to find other ways [to win],” Beilein said. “You have to look at the situation, and never expect anything to be certain and always try to be prepared for anything that could come in front of you.
"But we’re happy for them all. It started with Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway in ’13 as sophomores and juniors, then the next year sophomores Glenn Robinson, Nik Stauskas and Mitch McGary … Caris LeVert did make it all four years, but basically because of an injury, and then D.J. Wilson. It is something we didn’t plan on. At the same time, we are happy for them.”
“The kids are so young to go to the NBA, I think it’s taken them time to adjust. It took Tim time to adjust and he’s playing really well. Caris LeVert stayed four years in college and watched it more … I think it’s the off-the-court culture that have been attractive to pro teams. When they interview guys, they get the sense that this kid is not only a good player, he’ll be a good representative of their team.”
Recent projections:
ESPN.com (28th pick, L.A. Lakers): "The Lakers are said to be high on this high-flying stretch 4. When Wilson isn't boarding above the rim or launching three-pointers, there isn't a lot to his game, but those two attributes can get a player into the first round."
Draftexpress.com (22nd pick, Brooklyn Nets).
SI.com (21st pick, Oklahoma City Thunder): "Oklahoma City is one of several teams in the 20s rumored to be high on Wilson. His shooting range, size and defensive versatility hold obvious appeal as the Thunder continue to search for the right pieces to support Russell Westbrook."
NBADraft.net (24th pick, Utah Jazz).
NBA.com (37th pick, Boston Celtics): "Wilson is 21, but has only one real season of college experience as a third-year sophomore after being limited by a knee injury to four games in 2014-15 followed by just 6.1 minutes in 2015-16. What a one season it was, though. The Wilson of 2016-17 showed the range of an NBA stretch four with agility and ball-handling skills for a big. He is heading in a good direction."
CBSSports.com (36th pick, Philadelphia 76ers): "A near 7-footer who took a while to develop, Wilson projects as a nice stretch-four in the NBA. He can shoot it at a pretty good clip. He is as late of a bloomer as there is in this draft."
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42 and @Balas_Wolverine
• Like us on Facebook
