The wait is nearly over for Jordan Poole, Ignas Brazdeikis and Charles Matthews.
With the NBA Draft Thursday night, those three former Wolverines will have a chance to find out their professional fates. Here’s the latest buzz about all three of those players:
Poole is the only Michigan player that appears on the Athletic’s NBA Draft analyst Sam Vecenie’s latest mock draft. Vecenie has Poole going in the second round to the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 54 overall pick.
“Poole is a shot-maker who can score from all three levels, but hasn’t yet shown a ton of inclination on defense on in other aspects of the game,” Vecenie writes. “Still, the Sixers could use shooters.”
However, he does have Brazdeikis at No. 56 and Matthews at No. 61 on his latest Big Board.
Johnathan Givony of ESPN has Poole going in the second round with the No. 45 overall pick to the Detroit Pistons.
On ESPN’s Best Available Players Big Board, Poole checks in at No. 51.
“Poole is creative, full of swagger and just has a natural feel for the game on offense,” ESPN writes. “He's a little bit selfish at times, which is not the worst thing in the NBA game. You need to be able to go out and get your own shot.
“He can become more of a sound player because he had incredible flashes, but then he had some games at Michigan where he was barely there and he had no impact.”
ESPN has Matthews as the No. 54 overall player in the class, despite the ACL injury. Brazdeikis was ranked as the No. 69 overall player.
“Brazdeikis emerged on NBA radar screens early in the season as the leading scorer of a Michigan squad that significantly exceeded preseason expectations and rocketed toward the top of the national polls, thanks to an incredibly stout defense,” ESPN writes. “His aggressive mentality, advanced scoring instincts and overall toughness are attractive projecting forward.”
Sports Illustrated NBA Draft analyst Jeremy Woo has Poole going to the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round with the No. 42 overall pick.
“Apparently, Poole has been working out notably well for teams, but the lack of consistency at Michigan has deflated his stock a bit,” Woo writes. “That said, he’s an interesting second-round option for any team that needs shooting. Spending time in the G League to cultivate his guard skills might be helpful next season. The Sixers also have a ton of picks, and this is a spot they could look to send elsewhere for future value.”
Woo has Brazdeikis going to the New Orleans Pelicans in the second round with the No. 57 overall pick.
“While Brazdeikis isn’t a lock to get drafted, he’s probably shown enough over the course of the year to warrant a selection, potentially on a two-way contract,” Woo writes. “His shooting ability and toughness have some appeal, even though his defensive fit is a major concern.”
Matthews does not appear in Woo’s latest mock draft.
The Athletic’s Seth Davis talked with various NBA scouts and received negative reviews of Michigan’s players.
Scouts told Davis that they weren’t huge fans of Brazdeikis.
“He measured smaller than I thought,” Davis says of what NBA scouts have said. “He’s not all that athletic. I don’t think he can guard a 4, and right now doesn’t have the ability to play the 3. I don’t like drafting Michigan players because I think John Beilein takes average players and makes them look terrific. His guys get drafted high but don’t do much in our league. Lateral quickness is a question. He was terrific the first month of the season, but I don’t know what happened to him. He did not shoot the ball well in the workout I saw. What does he do to really stand out on an NBA floor? He’s a streaky shooter but not a bad one.”
Matthews also received criticism from the scouts Davis talked to.
“Breaks my heart that the kid just tore his ACL,” Davis says of what NBA scouts have said. “He was borderline before the injury. Now I can’t imagine who would draft him. I don’t see anything there. If you’re a wing in our league you have to be able to shoot, and he doesn’t have that yet. He’s more of a two-way guy who you develop. When you don’t improve your jumper after playing for Beilein, that’s a troubling sign. He’s going to have to make it defensively.”
On Poole, NBA scouts were troubled.
“He should have stayed in school,” Davis says of what NBA scouts have said. “Doesn’t handle the ball in terms of being to attack off the dribble. He’s going to have to take the long route to the NBA, probably through the G League. Not a fan. Good size but not a great athlete. I’m not convinced he loves basketball. Smooth as heck. Can really pass it. I think he can be a point guard if he gets stronger. Needs to get better as a defender but he’s good. He’s smaller than I thought, really lean and thin. Toughness is his biggest question. I question his decision-making. I thought he was good at times, but at other times I thought Michigan lost games because he was a train wreck.”
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