Basketbullets: Bamba To Texas, Simmons Withdraws, Wilson On Fringe
Pondering. [Marc-Gregor Campredon]
The pipe dream is dead. Five-star center Mo Bamba committed to Texas via a post on The Players' Tribune:
Everybody’s recruiting process is unique in some way, and mine was no different. Watching my family grow and solidify its bond was by far my favorite part of the experience. The world is bigger than 94 by 50 feet, and we all agreed that Texas offers me an exceptional opportunity to blaze my own trail on the basketball front with the comfort of knowing that no matter what happens, I’ve got an unrivaled support network to lean on for whenever the ball stops bouncing.
Happy trails. /wipes away single tear
Simmons withdraws. The NBA combine and draft lottery are complete, so we have a new wave of mock drafts to look over. First, MLive's Brendan Quinn broke a bit of news last night that was probably a formaility but is a relief nonetheless: Ohio grad transfar Jaaron Simmons, who'll likely start at point guard, will withdraw his name from the draft and join the Wolverines.
Now, Simmons says, he's ready to come to Michigan.
"I'm gonna pull my name out of the draft," Simmons told MLive on Wednesday. "I haven't officially done it yet, but that's definitely the way I'm going."
Quinn reports Simmons is "in the process" of getting his name withdrawn. A strong player in both pick-and-roll and isolation situations, he fills a significant need and takes considerable pressure off of Xavier Simpson. More on Simmons and his fit on the roster here and here.
Mock draft updates. While we have more clarity after the combine, the status of DJ Wilson and Moe Wagner is still up in the air as we near the May 24th withdrawal deadline. Both players have said they won't stay in the draft unless they're first-round picks. That looks unlikely for Wagner; Wilson's situation is murkier.
Wilson sat out the combine with a nagging quad injury, and while missing the five-on-five portion of the combine may have been beneficial to his draft stock—he didn't have to bang bodies in the post with guys like Jordan Bell—the same cannot be said for missing the athletic testing portion, as his biggest draw right now is his size/athleticism combo. If Wilson's quad isn't healed up enough to fully participate in individual team workouts this week, he'll be in a tough spot, operating with far less feedback than he'd hoped to get when he began the process.
Wagner's combine performance showed it's probably in his best interest to come back to school, as the five-on-five portion mostly highlighted his shortcomings as a defender and rebounder:
Center Moritz Wagner was arguably the worst player in the five-on-five portion this week. In his first game, he posted 13 points, but his team was much better when he was off the floor as he posted a minus-25 plus/minus while struggling against big men like Omer Yurtseven. Then, in the second game, he went 3 of 15 from the field as he posted a 1 for 8 mark from 3 over the two games. Every time he left the floor, his team went on a run. He also didn’t measure well, and none of his athletic testing stood out. Sometimes kids just want to be done with school, and I respect that. But if Wagner was to enter the draft, he would run the risk of going undrafted given the obvious defensive and athletic limitations he showcased not just here, but also during the entire college basketball season.
Wagner is mostly absent from updated mock drafts, even the full two-round mocks. If those same projections hold, Wilson is going to have a difficult decision. Here's a rundown:
SBNation (one round): Wilson #17
Fox Sports (one round): Wilson #24
The Ringer* (two rounds): Wilson #25, Wagner #60
SI (one round + top five out): Wilson #28
DraftExpress (two rounds): Wilson #30 // (Wagner #59 for 2018)
ESPN (one round): Wagner #30, no Wilson
Bleacher Report (two rounds): Wilson #38
NBADraftNet (two rounds): none // (Wilson #21, Matthews #29, Wagner #38 for 2018)
HoopsHype (one round): none
Sporting News (one round): none
CBS Sports (one round): none
Save the rather odd suggestion from ESPN's Chad Ford that Utah could draft Wagner with the final pick of the first round and stash him in Germany, a route Wagner hasn't even hinted at considering, all indications are Wagner will either go in the mid-to-late second round or not at all. He's working out today for Milwaukee, which owns the #17 pick in the first round—far earlier than even the rosiest projections have Wagner going.
Wilson, meanwhile, is right on the borderline for his decision. Of the eleven mocks listed above, five have him going in the first round. With Bamba off to Texas, Wilson's decision will have a huge impact on the outlook of next year's rotation:
— CT in TC (@CT_In_TC) May 18, 2017
Perhaps Michigan could get in late on a grad-transfer wing if Wilson declares, but options are limited at this point.
Wilson told Quinn that his quad injury is going to impact his individual team workouts, though one team has stood out as a potential landing spot:
Wilson said the Spurs have requested that he reschedule a new workout and that he also plans to visit with the Orlando Magic. He added that there are "a few teams in the mix."
How many of those he'll be able to perform in front of remains to be seen. Wilson noted: "My window is going to be shorter."
That said, one team that will likely remain interested is Utah.
"They thought I was a pretty decent athlete for my size and I shot the ball well there, so that was something they were impressed by," Wilson said.
Those teams all hold selections in Wilson's projected range: Utah at #24 and #30, Orlando at #25, San Antonio at #29. If Wilson can get a guarantee from one of those teams, he's probably gone. If he doesn't, he may be uncomfortable enough with the uncertainty to head back to school for another year.
*Highly recommended for the scouting reports
really like reading that about Wagner and the reason why is that he came to the US for the sole intention of making it to the NBA. If he gets the feeling that the NBA is not ever going to be in his future, he might just go back to Germany and get paid there. It's not easy to change measurables and athletic ability. What you would rather hear is that all of the measurables are there, he's a bit raw and needs some polishing.
And my crystal ball says DJ ain't coming back. Neg away.
Mo is very young still. At his height and with this skill level and passion he doesn't need to be a great athlete. If he continues to progress as he did last year he is going to dominate the Big Ten this year and be a sure fire #1 pick next year.
that much if you have T-rex arms. A wingspan of 7'0 is pretty poor for his position when most guys are in the 7'3-7'6 range. NBA wings that are 6'7 typically have wingspans of 7'0. And that's a big reason why he's not a shot blocker and is a poor defender. His measurabes were considered a major disappointment because wingspan and standing vertical reach are far more important than straight-up height. Unlike soccer, you don't use your head in basketball, so it doesn't matter where your head is, it matters where your finger tips are.
He is certainly skilled enough that if he becomes more consistent and learns to stay out of foul trouble while not being a massive defensive liability, there is a place for him the NBA. To compare to his role model, Dirk wasn't a good defender, either. If Wagner can be anywhere near as good on offense as Dirk, he's a role player at minimum.
re: DJ
he gone
The NBA is 100% in his future, he's just too skinny right now to get drafted. Once he gets stronger, then he'll also have to learn how to use his newfound strength and body. Maybe next year he'll be ready, or after senior year, but the talent is definitely there and barring catastrophe he's going to the NBA.
I'd probably take one year of Bamba over Wilson.
Wilson's a proven commodity and has been in the system three years. Bamba on paper is supposed to be better, but who really knows?
like so many highly rated bigs that aren't even that productive as freshmen (like 8 ppg, 20 mpg) but still get drafted highly based on sheer potential. It's just a hunch, but watching him in the McD's game, he just did not strike me as a guy with the motor to be dominant and his skills aren't there yet. He's just has a total giraffe/praying mantis freaky frame but has a long way to go with his game.
While I wouldn't blame Wilson for leaving, I also think relying on teams at the end of a round to stay true to drafting you can be tough because of the uncertainty ahead of them. It's easier for a team in the top 10 to promise you a pick because there are only 9 teams ahead of them who can mess something up. But if you are #28, and some guy you have on your board at #21 falls to you for whatever reason, do you draft Wilson or go with the higher-rated guy?
Again, wish him luck if he goes, but you hear stories about guys falling to the top of the 2nd when they thought they'd be a first, and some part includes a "I thought X was going to take me" remark.
As for Wagner, there's a risk he could go back to Germany, but I also think some of the athleticism arguments are a bit over-wrought. He's never going to be a starter in the NBA, but if he can hit open shots teams won't care that their 2nd-unit center/forward who sees 15 minutes a game is a defensive liability because of the trade-off offensively. His money was always in his shot and his offensive skillset, and if you are drafting late in the first that's a fine trade-off.
and provided we get DJ back I am very excited about how they can play next year. This year's squad took half a season to cohere but should be great right out of the gate with Simmons and Simpson at the helm in 17-18. We will not be the most physically talented team out there, but we will be among the most clever, and fun to watch. This year will make clear why Beilein is a HOF-caliber coach.
Louisville fans must just shake their heads when they read these scouting reports on Wagner.
This is just me wanting both of them back so we can be better, but Wagner is clearly not ready. Good ball handling for a 6'11 guy but if you compare him to what it is the NBA right now, he needs to get better at rebounding and get stronger. Wilson is a toss-up, if we get both back we'll be pretty damn good, therefore both should come back :)
Holy smokes would it be awesome to have a starting 5 next year with 3 dudes who pulled from the NBA Draft. That would be pretty sweet. Fingers crossed.
Mo appears to be enjoyng the whole college experience, that plus low draft projections SHOULD be decisive. I hope so. I do think he can progress enough to start in the NBA. But he needs to get bigger, stronger and play in competitve siutations. He can do that at Michigan.
really depends on how the new components gel together. We looked poised to take a step back after Morris left in 2012, then Burke came on the scene and we were better the following season. There was no reason to anticipate that. Who knows, Matthews did not not really get a chance to develop at Kentucky. He was very highly touted recruit and was on a Kentucky team that was already loaded. He could be very good.
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