The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2022 M ichigan Wolverines men's basket- ball saw two of its players — wing Caleb Houstan (No. 32 overall to the Or- lando Magic) and forward Moussa Diabate (No. 43 overall to the Los Angeles Clip- pers) — get selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. Houstan joins Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, Ignas Brazdeikis, Jon Teske and Zavier Simpson as former U-M players in the Magic organization. A five-star signee and No. 10 prospect in the 2021 recruiting class per the On3 Consensus, Houstan started 34 games at Michigan last season. He averaged 10.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Houstan shot 38.4 percent from the field with a 35.5 percent mark from 3-point range. "Another guy with upside," ESPN ana- lyst Jay Bilas said on the draft broadcast. "Caleb Houstan is a shooter. He's got shooting ability. He was streaky. There are questions of whether he can create on his own, but he can stretch the floor and knock down shots. He's not a big-time rebounder yet. "He's drafted for his shooting ability, and he led his team in 3-point field goals made last year — he made 60 for the Wol- verines. "In time, Caleb Houstan, I think, is go- ing to be a good NBA player." Diabate went off the board at No. 43 overall, making it 15 total and five out of the last 10 drafts in which U-M has had multiple picks. Diabate was a big part of Michigan's 2021-22 team, averaging 24.8 minutes per game as the starting power forward and second-string center behind Hunter Dickinson. He recorded 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists per outing, and scored in double figures 13 times, high- lighted by a 28-point performance at Iowa. Diabate had the third-highest usage rate among Wolverine starters — ahead of Houstan — and shot 54.2 percent overall, connecting on 57.1 percent of his 2-point shots during Big Ten play, which ranked 14th in the league. "Another upside pick for a Clipper team that's been known for focusing on developing," ESPN analyst Bobby Marks said. "Twenty years old, athletic, 6-11, 220 pounds. Nine points, six rebounds. When we get to this point in the draft, we're looking at players that are likely go- ing to be tagged with a two-way contract and just focused on development, as a foundational piece for the future." The duo became Michigan's second and third one-and-done prospects of the 21st century, joining Brazdeikis, Houstan's new teammate, in 2019. Prior to that, the Wolverines' latest one-and-done player was Jamal Crawford in 2000. Houstan and Diabate are also fourth- year head coach Juwan Howard's third and fourth draft picks during his tenure. He saw wings Franz Wagner and Isaiah Livers get selected in the 2021 draft. U-M has seen 14 of its former play- ers get picked in the last 10 drafts, which leads the Big Ten. Second-place Michigan State has 10 selections during that span. U-M's 65 picks in history rank seventh in the nation, behind UCLA (107), Kentucky (104), North Carolina (99), Duke (92), Kansas (75) and Arizona (69). Guards Eli Brooks and DeVante' Jones were also draft hopefuls, but neither was selected in June. Brooks signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Indiana Pacers fol- lowing the event. An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, minimum salary NBA contract and gives the Pacers the flexibility to con- vert it into a two-way deal,. However, the team has to ensure that it happens before the commencement of the regular season. They also hold his G League rights. Jones played in the NBA summer league with the Denver Nuggets. — Clayton Sayfie JORDAN POOLE WINS NBA TITLE WITH GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS Former Michigan men's basketball guard Jordan Poole is an NBA champion. His Golden State Warriors finished off former U-M standout Nik Stauskas and the Boston Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals, and Poole was a big part of the team's title run. Poole is the first former Wolverine to win an NBA championship as a player since current head coach Juwan Howard with the Miami Heat in 2013. In the Finals, Poole posted 13.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per outing, while shooting 43 percent overall and 36.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. He scored 15 points and added 3 rebounds and 2 assists in Game 6, the series- clincher in Boston. In the postseason, the Michigan man registered 17.0 points, 3.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds per contest, and shot 51.2 per- cent from the field and 39.2 percent from 3-point range. He had seven games of 20- plus points. Poole's 39.2 percent 3-point shooting led the team among players av- eraging 5 or more attempts per night. During the regular season, Poole aver- aged 18.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.4 re- bounds per game, while shooting career- highs from the field (44.8 percent), long Houstan was selected by the Orlando Magic No. 32 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. His freshman classmate Moussa Diabate went No. 43 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN MICHIGAN IN THE PROS Caleb Houstan And Moussa Diabate Both Selected In NBA Draft's Second Round