Tankathon’s mock now has Caleb going 30th and no Wolverines going in the 2nd round.
Which would mean no NBA attrition this year unless someone wants to take the G League or overseas route. There even could be transfers out in the portal.
I am not sure what would make Houstan want to stay in a situation that saw him play out of the lottery and the first round
That’s not all on coaching obviously, but a teen with his dreams temporarily shattered my not see it that way.
Also Hunter is gone regardless of where he is mocked.
5 Likes
Agree on Hunter. Houstan, however, is a little different. I think I would point out to him what happened with Franz or Jaden Ivey. He’s young and his path to the show is by showing he can shoot and do a few other things. He has potential to play himself back into the first. Diabate is probably the biggest wildcard, though I would LOVE to see him as our starting center next year.
What I hope is that all of these guys start playing awesome and have tough decisions to make…because that means we turned things around on this season.
3 Likes
After watching Houstan get physically overmatched this year, I truly don’t understand how he gets drafted until he shows he can swim with this level of size and athleticism in the opposition.
You’re obviously right - there are reasons for him to stay, I’m just saying it wouldn’t shock me if an 18 year old fails to grasp the big picture in such a situation.
3 Likes
Many laughed when it was floated out there that the staff didn’t believe there were any one and done players on the roster.
2 Likes
That is true. I guess they thought Jones would assimilate way better than he has?
Or maybe that the defense was so good it made the offense look bad in practice?
Guys blowing up like Davis, Murray, and Ivey this season with Franz last year is what you’d like to see from Houstan next year if he stays. I was always a little skeptical of his lottery status because he lacked NBA athleticism and needed to shoot really well to get them excited. But I think with another season on the court and in the weight room he has a chance for a similar leap.
5 Likes
Coming off an outstanding showing at this summer’s FIBA U19 World Cup by leading Canada to a bronze medal while ranking as one of the best scorers at the event, Houstan, a top-10 recruit and two-time high school national champion, looked like a likely candidate to emerge as a one-and-done lottery pick.
Things haven’t been nearly as smooth as expected two months into the season. Houstan has struggled to score with consistency or efficiency, alternating between looking passive and forcing the issue inside and outside the arc, while looking physically overwhelmed.
I sat courtside this past weekend in Orlando, Florida, as Houstan had his worst game thus far in a blowout loss to UCF, scoring just one point in 25 minutes while shooting 0-for-7 from the field. Michigan has been one of the biggest disappointments of the season, a preseason top-five team that’s now 7-6 and without any wins over projected NCAA tournament teams.
Houstan looked like a completely different player in high school and this past summer with the Canadian national team, playing with confidence and showing versatility as a ball handler, passer, defender and shooter, while playing through contact effectively and putting his teams on his back in clutch moments. NBA scouts will want to see a lot more of that in Big Ten play, as he has lacked burst, explosiveness and aggressiveness while having his shot blocked frequently.
Houstan will need to be much more like the 41% 3-point shooter he was in high school than the 31% he has converted thus far in college, while also doing a much better job defensively, something that used to be his calling card.
Houstan isn’t the first blue-chip prospect to need more time to adjust to the college game. Still only 18, Houstan could benefit from another year at Michigan to add bulk, regain his confidence and find more consistency on both ends of the floor, but the next few months could still give us a better gauge on his potential
9 Likes
I still think Caleb would go late first round or early second round. I’m guessing NBA scouts will see him as a connector on offense and those are being seen as valuable (make open shots, the extra pass, and occasionally attack a compromised defense and hit cutters on the move.)
While his having to be more of a creator for Michigan is not a great sign for the team, it probably helps him in the long run.
3 Likes
Ben Math is another Sophomore blow up. I bet some teams would have love to have stolen him in the second round last draft.
1 Like
I posted here, way before the season began, that I thought Houstan looked passive in high school (or words to that effect). I was firmly assured by others, including a poster who claimed to have coached against him, that I was wrong. Glad I’m not the only one to think that.
2 Likes
Except you’re quoting someone who disagreed with that take until recently. Givony was extremely high on Houstan and this article makes it clear that he’s surprised about Houstan’s play this year. So that doesn’t make your take about Houstan, the high school player, a correct one. Unfortunately, Houstan the college player has not looked like the same player as he did in HS and for Team Canada.
7 Likes
He still looks the same to me, slow/passive and not a great outside shooter. Now, I previously based that on about a half dozen full games I watched of him in HS, which were all against top competition. I will concede that those could have been outlier games, but nothing I have seen from him this year has changed my mind.
I do tend to think that Houstan had a much easier road to hoe as a designated catch-and-shoot guy on the best HS roster in history than he does now, and the adjustment is clearly less smooth than we had hoped.
3 Likes
You can just tag me next time. And I “claimed” to have coached against him? Tune in to ESPNU tomorrow at 5pm I’ll be on the bench. Check last years games and see if the coaching staffs are the same for both teams. 
15 Likes
If the NBA draft were tomorrow I think best case for Houstan at the moment is that a team takes him in the second round because of his age and the hope he can be an elite shooter someday. I just don’t see someone drafting him higher. Look at what we saw from similar wings from the big ten just last year:
- Livers (2nd) - We just saw him get picked in the second round and while he was older and coming off injuries you could also say he’s the same size, had proven to be an elite shooter, and had shown he was at least an adequate defender.
- Aaron Henry (undrafted) - Was a similar size and had shown himself to be far more athletic and able to take on difficult usage and went undrafted.
- Joe Wieskamp (2nd) - Showed himself to be an elite shooter and wing player in the conference and went in the second round.
The good news is that it likely means Houstan can reach his potential in a Michigan uniform if he decides to stay another year. I do think he’s still a very good player and that a lot of this was probably predictable given the circumstances.
1 Like
As the NBA draft moves into the second round, don’t they tend to start drafting older players rather than very young ones who might develop into something good in time?
1 Like
6 of 1 half dozen of the other honestly.
I mean there are only so many “high ceiling” guys out there, so they tend to draft those first, and the less promising veteran guys later
2 Likes
Sometimes an NBA tram will try to take a player that could develop into a lottery type player but get them on a cheaper, more flexible contract. I think some teams were hoping Matherin declared for the last draft so they could get him cheap.
1 Like