Michigan basketball made waves during the NBA Draft once again, with wing Franz Wagner (No. 8 overall in the first round to the Orlando Magic) and forward Isaiah Livers (No. 42 overall in the second round to the Detroit Pistons) being the 12th and 13th Wolverines to be picked since 2011. Wagner is the ninth first-round choice out of Michigan since 2013.
Michigan has had 63 NBA Draft selections throughout history, 18 of which have come in the lottery and 29 in the first round. The Wolverines' 29 first-round picks are the sixth-most out of any college, trailing only (in order) Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA and Kansas.
Those numbers are even more impressive when considering the Wolverines had just one draft pick during their dormant years from 2001-10, before former head coach John Beilein (2007-19) led the program's resurgence that included two national title game appearances, two Big Ten regular-season titles, two Big Ten Tournament titles and 278 total wins (the most by any coach in U-M history).
RELATED: Michigan's Franz Wagner Drafted No. 8 Overall In NBA Draft By Orlando Magic
RELATED: Detroit Pistons Select Michigan's Isaiah Livers At No. 42 In NBA Draft
One might assume that NBA Draft success comes natural for programs that win at a high level, but that's not always the case. Michigan stands as the only Big Ten program to have a first-round draft choice in at least seven of the last nine drafts.
Rival Ohio State has put eight of its players in the first round and 11 in the draft altogether since 2007. But a closer look shows that the Buckeyes have fallen off a bit when it comes to developing NBA talent, with only two picks over the last eight drafts.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, took over a winning program in 1995 and had the Spartans on more than solid footing when Beilein came into the picture at Michigan. The Spartans have won the Big Ten regular-season title six times since 2007 and have, for the most part, landed higher-ranked recruiting classes than the Maize and Blue. However, Izzo has produced five first-rounders and 11 total picks since in that time frame, less than the Wolverines. He's seen one of his players taken in the top-10 of the last 20 drafts, while the Wolverines have had three top-10 selections since in the last nine years.
Purdue has won three Big Ten titles and produced eight picks in that span, including just two first-rounders, while fellow conference power Wisconsin, which also has three titles, has seen only four of its players selected since 2007.
Needless to say, Michigan, which has made five straight NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances, is winning both on the hardwood and in the draft.
In fact, one of Beilein's downfalls — for lack of a better term — was that his players developed into NBA commodities ahead of schedule, leaving him scrambling to find recruits at the last second many springs and never having teams as old as he would've liked.
The Wolverines had eight players in the league last season, including standouts Duncan Robinson (Miami Heat), Caris LeVert (Indiana Pacers) and Tim Hardaway Jr. The ones who are in the category of 'role player' are contributors as well, thanks in part to their experience at Michigan.
A journeyman, Glenn Robinson III is currently a free agent after being waived by the Sacramento Kings mid-way through the 2020-21 season, but he's had a successful career as a role player to this point, despite some ups and downs. In 2019-20, he started 48 games for the Golden State Warriors and averaged 12.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest, before being coveted at the trade deadline and moved to Philadelphia to help with a playoff push.
He's seen quite a bit in his career, and he's kept a close eye on his fellow Wolverines in the league and the success they're having.
"I think it really helped me because in the NBA, you’re either Steph [Curry], LeBron [James], K.D. [Kevin Durant], James Harden, a couple other guys. If not, you’re a role player," Robinson III told The Wolverine last year. "It’s kind of as simple as that, so you have to figure out, ‘What are you really good at and what are some other ways you can help the team?’
"I really just feel like Michigan kind of started it, and I’ve just tried to get better every year, every year. Just learning from Michigan, having that foundation, that home base. I thought Beilein did everything right in terms of learning the fundamentals, learning how to cut, learning how to play defense, learning how to work with a team. I feel like that all helped me."
Third-year Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, the No. 5 overall pick in 1994, is only continuing what Beilein built, and possibly bolstering it with his elite-level recruiting. Michigan players under Beilein were well-equipped for the NBA, and the same goes for Howard's guys.
"They’ve been well-coached," Bleacher Report NBA analyst Jonathan Wasserman told The Wolverine when asked if there's a common theme about players from Michigan. "I think everybody kind of knows that — that’s the reputation that Michigan players have, and they’re well-represented in the NBA.
"At the same time, each individual is kind of their own case, so I don’t want to paint them all under the same umbrella, but there’s never really been any major question marks with the mentality of Michigan players.
"To me, Livers is like the perfect example of a guy who I think is not the most talented player, and he has a few translatable skills, but he’s going to accept his role and can kind of really work on exactly what he does well, and that can be enough for him to stick."
It's no wonder Beilein, now a Detroit Pistons special advisor for player development who recruited Livers to Michigan in the first place, is part of the organization that drafted the Kalamazoo native.
Howard, who led the Wolverines to an outright Big Ten title in his second season and reeled in the nation's top 2021 recruiting class, has more NBA talent in the pipeline. Freshman wing Caleb Houstan is a potential top-five pick next season, and center Hunter Dickinson and guard DeVante' Jones will also have a great shot to be picked.
The Wolverines are rolling, and there's truly no end in sight.
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