With the NBA combine taking place this week in Chicago, NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks and NBA draft analyst Mike Schmitz — both of ESPN — appeared on a conference call this afternoon to discuss the annual event.
They fielded questions pertaining to some of the top prospects at the combine and what they'd like to see from each of them, while also giving their predictions on where they think several players may go in June's draft.
Schmitz was asked specifically about the Michigan trio in attendance — freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis, redshirt junior guard Charles Matthews and sophomore guard Jordan Poole — and gave his take on what all three need to work on, as well as where he thinks they'll come off the board.
He began with Brazdeikis:
“It’s about showing he can make others around him better, and that he can be a consistent shooter," the analyst explained.
"He’s further along on the offensive end than he is on the defensive, so people want to see him be a knockdown shooter and make those around him better.
"He was a perfect fit in John Beilein’s system playing at that 4-spot, so I want to see what he looks like defensively against some of the more gifted offensive guys.
“I was a little surprised Poole elected not to play [in five-on-five competition at the combine], because he could have helped himself by making shots and showing off his talent.
"It’s going to be hard to pick up much from him there, so he’s going to have to prove himself throughout the work process. It’ll be more about the interviews with him, showing that his mind is in the right place and that he’s able to play within a team system and isn't just out there to get his own.
"Finally, it’s all about shooting the ball with Matthews — that’s always been the key for him. He can really defend, handle the ball and pass, but shooting has kind of been his downfall.
“With that in mind, I see Matthews as more of a late second round/undrafted two-way guy. Brazdeikis is possibly a mid-second round type of prospect with the potential to climb into the 30s.
"I think Poole has a wide range, because he’s talented enough to be a late first round type of prospect, but for him, it’s about answering the questions I talked about.”
Latest Mock Drafts From ESPN, SportsIllustrated and TheAthletic
• ESPN's Jonathan Givony came out with his most recent mock draft on May 13, and projected all 60 picks in the first and second rounds.
Brazdeikis was actually the only Wolverine he had being selected, tabbing him to the Sacramento Kings with the No. 40 overall pick in the second round.
• SportsIllustrated's Jeremy Woo, however, had a more positive outlook for the Michigan athletes in his May 14 mock draft.
He pegged both Brazdeikis and Poole to come off the board late in the second round, with the former going No. 51 to the Boston Celtics and the latter No. 55 to the New York Knicks.
• TheAthletic's Sam Vecenie's May 14 mock draft looked quite similar to Woo's, though the former was a bit higher on the U-M players than the SportsIllustrated writer was.
Vecenie projected Brazdeikis to go No. 47 to the Kings and Poole No. 53 to the Utah Jazz, while also predicting Matthews to go undrafted.
He gave his reasoning on both picks, beginning with the freshman:
"Brazdeikis is in a very interesting situation," Vecenie wrote. "Even after shooting 39 percent from 3 last season, NBA teams still question his jumper a bit because of his previous rep in high school as an improving shooter, but not a high level one.
"They also wonder how his athleticism translates on offense, as he’s an advantage scorer who gets by with change of pace. Defensively, he was also a fairly big problem for Michigan.
"But one some level, Brazdeikis is just a tough dude that no one ever wants to play against. There’s a real chance an NBA organization falls in love with him in the pre-draft process and takes him a bit higher than this.
"But based on skill level, it’s tough for me to get there right now."
Here is what Vecenie wrote about Poole potentially going No. 53 to the Jazz:
"Similar to [Washington's Jaylen] Nowell, but with less of a track record to go off of," he explained. "Poole is a skilled scorer who can get buckets in a hurry when he’s hot, but he disappears when he’s off and doesn’t make an impact anywhere else on the floor.
"I think someone takes a chance on his skill set developing in the G-League over the next year or so. Utah could use more shooting and scoring, so it’s a fit."
---
• 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, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook
