Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis, redshirt junior guard Charles Matthews and sophomore guard Jordan Poole all announced their declarations for the NBA draft yesterday, with the intention of hiring agents.
Rule changes this past offseason now permit college athletes to hire agents and still potentially return to college, meaning all three of the U-M players still have the option of doing so.
That, however, seems unlikely at this point, despite low draft projections from the majority of recent mock drafts that have been released.
We've rounded up the latest ones from around the country and have taken a look at where the U-M trio has been slotted.
Ignas Brazdeikis
• No. 23 — Boston Celtics (BasketballSocietyOnline.com); April 1
"Already a 3rd 1st round pick for the Celtics?" they wrote. "Well, if they go with a defensive wing, and then a point, maybe a shooting wing makes sense. Iggy has shown that ability and is only getting started. Could find a place in Boston."
• No. 46 — Sacramento Kings (Steve Kyler, BasketballInsiders.com); April 9
• No. 54 — Philadelphia 76ers (Jeremy Woo, SI.com); April 9
Charles Matthews
• No. 50 — Utah Jazz (Sam Vecenie, TheAthletic); March 18
"Matthews is a tremendous athlete and defender," Vecenie wrote. "The Jazz have had great success with wings of this archetype, wringing value out of them offensively typically by teaching them how to shoot. Matthews needs a lot of work there, but he’s worth a flyer because if he develops it, he will certainly be an NBA player."
• No. 51 — Los Angeles Clippers (BasketballSocietyOnline.com); April 1
"Some games you’ll be so impressed with Matthews offensively while in others you barely remember him touching the ball," they explained. "He always shows up on defense though and that’s what the Clippers would love."
• No. 56 — New York Knicks (Jeremy Woo, SI.com); April 9
• Undrafted (NBADraftRoom.com)
"Has ideal size but struggles to shoot the ball," they noted in their analysis. "A below average 3 point shooter and a very poor free throw shooter. But has some upside as an athlete with a chance to develop his outside shot."
Jordan Poole
• No. 31 — Brooklyn Nets (BasketballSocietyOnline.com); April 1
"Great shooter with a bag on him like no other," they said. "More talent for the Nets!!"
• No. 35 — Atlanta Hawks (Sam Venecie, TheAthletic); March 18
"So far in the Schlenk era, the Hawks have really valued getting floor spacing," Venecie explained. "Poole is a terrific shooter who can create as a secondary ball-handler out of pick-and-roll. He also has an innate understanding of spacing from having worked in Michigan’s scheme. Defense is a real worry with Poole, but he has the look of an interesting back-up scorer once he irons out his consistency."
• No. 49 — Charlotte Hornets (Jonathan Adams, Heavy.com); April 6
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