What it means: Caleb Houstan left out of NBA G League Elite Camp
With the G League officially releasing its list of 44 prospects invited to the NBA G League Elite Camp on Monday, one name was glaringly missing from the list: Michigan's Caleb Houstan.
While it's not clear if the Houstan camp was counting on receiving an invite or not, it's certainly a blow for the rising sophomore and his chances to get his game in front of NBA, as well as G League, scouts.
The final hope is that Houstan gets an NBA Draft Combine invite, if that doesn't happen, it could very well signal that Houstan's hand has been forced as to what he will do next season.
Houstan's teammate Moussa Diabate has received his, is Houstan next in line?
The major motivating factor for those who are not lottery pick locks is the guarantee of a contract from the NBA level. Sometimes it's a first or second-round guarantee, while others are satisfied with receiving G League compensation in order to grow their games without the worry of school and other things you get at the collegiate level.
Unless Houstan receives some sort of guaranteed deal, which would be unlikely if he is shut out of both camps, he might not have any other option but to return to Ann Arbor next season.
That's not necessarily a bad thing if you're Houstan. You have another year to craft your defensive game, better your shot and prove that you were one of the highly-ranked recruits coming out of the 2021 recruiting class.
The good thing for Houstan, too, is that he's only 19-years-old. Still plenty young in the eyes of the NBA, who value younger players over grizzled veterans in NCAA circles.
While this is opinion only, the Wolverines will be a better team with Houstan returning for another season, as he might not have a choice to go anywhere else but to go back to Ann Arbor, where he will be welcomed back to Ann Arbor.
He would be returning with a laundry list of areas of his game that he can improve. Usually, feedback from NBA franchises are typically private and not publicly shared unless the player does it himself. Either way, you can bet that Juwan Howard is well aware of what Houstan would like to achieve in year two if he chooses to do.
There are no guarantees in life, so you can never truly predict what Houstan is going to do.
However, it appears that Houstan's path is incredibly clear if he ends up being shut out of both camps:
A return to Michigan is probable, not guaranteed. And the Wolverines would be just fine with that.
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