Poole is lanky, already 6’5", known as a strong shooter, and will be asked to do less at the NBA level. He’s also only twenty as has two Big Ten seasons under his belt as experience. I think he’s not as good of a prospect as Iggy, but it’s close.
EDIT: Will be twenty for next NBA season. He’s still only 19.
Love them both, but based on apparent athleticism and some of the drives he has made recently, I think that Poole could have the higher ceiling. There is something just a little wooden about Iggy’s straight-line style. Appearances, obviously, can be deceiving. Take Cassius Winston. And although he is a year older than most freshmen, you cannot argue with the success Iggy has been having. They both have looked a little flustered/rushed down the stretch in big games, FWIW.
Agreed. I mean, he’s still guarded as if he’s a great shooter. He’s certainly going to be a great shooter if he figures out the finer points.
Whatever ends up happening after this season, it’s clear that NBA people care little, if at all, about players’ mental shortcomings at the college level. Poole’s mental lapses will carry no weight with NBA scouts, based on the projected draft slot of guys like Porter and Little. I watched Porter play live last week, and he has NO IDEA what he’s doing on the court, especially at the defensive end.
Poole would still be a bit of a risky pick in the 1st round. He still has a pretty low floor and could bust. I think he’s maybe a borderline 1st/2nd round talent at this point because of his low floor and is the borderline case where it makes sense to come back and shore up parts of his game and ensure that solid 1st round grade for the 2020 draft. He’s young enough that it would make sense too. Obviously, he could decide to go anyway, but I suspect he’d be better served by coming back to ensure he’s taken solidly in the 1st round (assuming he has a good junior year and improves).
I’m not sure if Iggy has much upside to improve. I suspect he’d be a pretty similar player next year. He’ll probably get a bit better inside the arc and passing the ball even with an uptick of usage.
JB could sell both Poole and Iggy on being the two main pieces of the offense and both will see an uptick in usage with Matthews gone. Plus, the floor could open up a bit more next year with Livers added to the starting lineup and an incoming freshman like Wilson who should be able to shoot 3s as well.
I think that’s a great point. Poole’s drives to the rim are truly electric, at the same time though I do also think some coaching specific to that will also help Iggy in that area as well. Both, I agree, are solid NBA prospects.
Thinking Teske, JP, and Iggy all test the waters, go to the combine but don’t sign with an agent.
It is odd to think that if, if I could magically choose only one to return, it would be Teske? I love all three, but Teske seems like the most vital cog specifically for next year’s team, whereas I see more direct “replacements” on the wing and the two either coming in or already on the roster. Castleon is a great talent (a long visit to Camp Sanderson will do him wonders), but Teske’s defense in the paint is rare.
Nah, I like your idea better; let’s have all three return.
Yeah, bluejayway, I, too, hope they all return. Like UofMJBfan, I also think it would be wise for all three to test the waters and get valuable feedback. And you know what? I think JB would tell them the same thing. 
Per someone I know with connections, Iggy and Poole will test without signing with an agent, but Teske will not test. Things could change, of course, but his source is really good.
If I had to bet on an outcome right now, it would be that we lose only Matthews from this years team. I’d also guess that we see Charles on a two-way or in Europe.
I think John submits nearly everyone to the evaluation board - a few years ago when everyone was worried about Wagner and Wilson leaving, John always discussed them in a group with Rahk and Duncan Robinson. All four had submitted themselves for review.
There has been a difference in the past between submitting names to the advisory committee and “testing the waters” - declaring but not hiring an agent. I thought under the new rules a player could hire an agent and still maintain eligibility if he withdrew but I’m not sure.
IMO, I’ll be shocked if Poole is actually viewed as a draftable prospect right now. He’s someone I’d be watching if I was an NBA scout, but there’s not nearly enough production or physical tools to spend a pick on. I think Vecenie just hasn’t been playing close enough attention to him…I’d expect Poole to be like Charles was last year where he’s a guy who doesn’t get invited to the combine or just barely gets the invite.
I also think the tournament as a way too boost your stock is massively overrated. Scouts will pay attention if there is a marked change late in season to your role and ability AND you are a young player, but just getting hot for one or two games isn’t enough to become a first round pick out of nowhere. I can’t think of many examples of guys who massively boosted their stock through the NCAA Tournament. McGary obviously, because he was a high recruit who was barely playing all year and then was dropping 20-10s over a 6 game stretch of high leverage games. And then Shabazz Napier probably moved from an early second to a late first, but that was mostly because the Heat thought it would help them keep Lebron.
Donte Divincenzo played his way into the mid-first round out of nowhere last year. Prior to that, he was a second rounder at best.
I agree it doesn’t happen often, but it can happen. And for him, it was a Herculean effort on the biggest stage, not just a random second round game where not everyone is watching.
Donte backed it up by impressing everyone at the NBA combine with his athletic ability.
I would wager that DiVincenzo’s “stock” was more about the media miscalculating his stock more than his stock actually dramatically increasing because of his National Championship game. For an example of this, look at Huerter. Very very similar player who made a similarly enormous draft stock leap late in the process despite not showing out in the NCAA Tournament.
The media was just undervaluing guys with that skill set.
Both Donte and Huerter showed out at the combine to cement their stock. Huerter wasn’t a mid first rounder until the combine. But Donte was put on the radar from that tourney explosion. The combine just cemented his place.
Likewise, I think Poole could do the same in that setting. He has the ability to have big tournament games or impress at the combine. I think the reason people get so frustrated with Poole is because they see his potential. He’s probably the best NBA prospect on the team so when he is inconsistent or outplayed by lesser guys, it causes more gripes than if someone else did the same thing.
Personally I’d love all of Michigan’s main guys in the rotation to test the waters without an agent. It makes for nerve racking weeks before knowing if some of those guys are returning that could realistically leave (Poole and Iggy). Teske, Poole, Iggy, Livers and even Simpson all should test even though 3 of them obviously need to return without much debate. It’s a good way for those guys to get honest, fresh outside eyes on their games to tell them what they need to work on. Bruno Fernando took what he was told by scouts to improve and really improved his game. He became a really good passing bit because it was what the NBA guys wanted to see him improve. As good as Beilein and the staff are, getting additional, respected peers to tell these guys the things they need to work on sometimes resonates more than hearing it from the same guys who’ve been in your ear nonstop for a year. If I’m Cassius Winston I’m doing the same thing at MSU. That’s just my two cents.
I just get the feel that Poole is done with college.
If he gets any positive feedback about his chances to be a top 30-40 pick I think he’ll take his shot this year.
Regardless of whether “he should come back” and continue to refine his skills.
This is a horribly weak draft.