Michigan Basketball Becoming Hotbed For NBA Talent

The Michigan Wolverines had three players taken in the NBA draft Thursday night, following two who were taken in the first round in 2013.

Shooting guard Nik Stauskas was picked 8th overall by the Sacramento Kings, power forward Mitch McGary was the 21st pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and small forward Glenn Robinson III was the 40th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In the 2013 NBA draft, Naismith Player of the Year Trey Burke was chosen 9th overall by the Timberwolves (then traded to the Utah Jazz), and Tim Hardaway Jr. was taken 24th by the New York Knicks.

Four of the five players declared for the draft after their sophomore seasons, Hardaway was a junior.

The mass exodus represents the entire 2013 starting lineup of the Michigan team that lost to Louisville in the National Championship game reported MLive.

McGary, who was listed in the top five, was the only highly recruited player of the five. Hardaway Jr. and Robinson III, despite their pedigrees (their fathers were NBA stars), were not highly recruited. Stauskas was the number 71 ranked player coming out of high school, and Burke was not even recruited by his hometown University.

Burke, a native of Columbus, Ohio, was not offered a scholarship by Ohio State coach Thad Matta. He is best friends with former Buckeye star Jared Sullinger, and signed to play for rival Michigan.

Stauskas, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, became the highest Michigan player drafted since Jamal Crawford was also taken 8th in 2000.

“Nik Stauskas I think is the best shooter in this draft,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. “But he’s much more than a shooter. He’s got a complete offensive game and he’s got a swagger to him. He’s cocky, he’s confident, he’s totally unafraid.”

“McGary is a massive left-hander that can really run, he can really change ends, he’s got nimble feet,” Bilas said. “I think he he’s got a really good feel for the game and I think he’s a really good player,” reported the Detroit Free Press.

As previously reported in The Inquisitr, McGary played in only eight games in 2013-2014 due to a back injury that required surgery. He also tested positive for marijuana and was facing a year-long suspension, making his decision to declare for the draft an easy one.

Robinson III’s stock fell some after having what most call a sub-par season, at least statistic wise, but the analysts like his upside.

“I like his attitude and a team player,” Jalen Rose said. “Anytime you’re playing alongside the talent he’s playing with the last couple years that they’ve had as a team, sometimes people want to only judge you by statistics… I think he did very well at Michigan and continued to improve, seemingly each game.”

[Image via Sacramento Bee]