Caleb Houstan declines Combine Invite, clearing the way for UM return?
Interesting news here, apparently Houstan has declined an invite, making it highly likely that he will return next season.
Honestly, who knows what's going on. This seems fluid.
Also reported by Alejandro Zúñiga on twitter.
I should also add that Jeremy Woo noted that this could potentially mean he already has a guarantee from a team about his placement in the draft.
Kind of doubt that's the case here.
Out of the two likely reasons for him not going to the combine, one seems far more likely than the other
Dude was visited by draft experts today where he's working out. Expect a big wire up about him in the next few days.
I wouldn’t be sure about those doubts. He declared for the draft only 10 days ago. If the purpose was to learn more information but likely return to school, would he decline a combine invite, which is the best opportunity for him to do learn more about his draft stock?
I think he’s got a promise from someone at the end of the first round.
I would say without an announcement he is coming back his pulling out of the NBA combine makes it more likely he is gone
Im confused, why would he not do the combine, isnt that the point of putting hos name in the draft? He can back out before the draft, if he changes his mind. I would at least go through the combine and get suggestions and advice, even if I plan to return.
isnt that the point of putting hos name in the draft?
Wait, there's a draft for hos now?
Pimps have been drafting, trading and swapping hos for millennia…
"Pimps have been drafting, trading and swapping hos for millennia…"
I'm not sure why, but this comment seems extra funny when coming from a clown.
There was one in '94
2004 racial draft was one for the ages.
Ho’s gotta eat too.
Looks like this guy is taking his place!
Maybe he hates school and is going pro regardless. The "G" league could give him some contract guarantees. Never intended to go to the combine (You don't have to go) and will be happy playing in the "G" league if he isn't drafted.
Having a hard time figuring out why you would believe declining an invite to the combine would make it more likely he would return. Unless he fully withdrew from the draft, declining the invite generally means he has an agreement/promise with a team that they’ll draft him so he pullls out of the combine
Out of the two likely reasons for not accepting a combine invite, you really think the more likely outcome is that he got a draft promise from a team? Nothing about his performance this year makes me think that. The only possible reason would be that some team is enamored by what they saw from him at Montverde
While I see the logic you use I'm going to counter with this. The entire point of putting your name into the draft and returning to college after is to work with NBA personnel, show what youre capable of in person, then get feedback on what NBA teams want from you. You do this at the combine.
I can see a team falling in love with his shooting form. He really does have excellent mechanics and at 6'8 that is a recipe for a dangerous floor spacer. And at 19 there is a lot of time for improvement.
But you don’t have to attend the combine to do this. Private workouts and being allowed to talk in person with scouts and front office personnel are much more beneficial in this process than the combine itself.
Once early entrants are in the draft, they're required to get written feedback as well.
That's exactly what Dickinson got after his freshman year. Houstan almost certainly got his feedback.
My suspicion is that it was not good, and there's no point of going to the combine, and he's returning to school. Seems way more likely than a team guaranteeing they'll take him in the 1st round
But, that could be true as well
You do this at the combine.
But that’s not true though. As soon as you declare for the draft, you can speak with NBA teams and get feedback. The combine is not necessary for feedback
Double post mah bad
I agree, but weird stuff happens all the time. Would love to see him return
No disrespect to Houstan, but who would draft him? I don't get it. What does he offer an NBA team right now?
I don’t disagree but there is no reason to decline the combine if he’s returning… especially if he hasnt withdrawn from the draft entirely
It only takes one team who sees something in him. Similar to GS with Poole. Based on the wording of the news, to me, it sounds way more likely he got a promise from a team and will stay in the draft.
The ultimate goal for these kids is to get to the league, not play for Michigan (or whatever college they go to). He had the plan of being a one-and-done the whole time. He gets the promise, he wants to be gone, he gone.
Sorry, IMO Poole showed way more potential than Houstan when he got drafted. I thought Poole looked like a guy that was on his way to putting it all together. Houstan looked like a guy who needs to learn how to shoot when conditions aren't absolutely perfect.
Admittedly Poole was also a sophomore.
Maybe there’s an NBA team out there willing to give him half a contract to only play home games (and simultaneously worked out a deal to host those home games in Chrisler)?
I understand what you're saying and your perspective but you're not an NBA scout for every team. If a team toward the bottom of the order thinks he's a steal since so few teams are thinking about drafting him, it makes sense to promise him that they'll pick him and then stash him/develop him. Way more sense than thinking he will be awesome down the road, then watch him blow up as a sophomore and then lose him in the following draft.
Agreed, but all it takes is one team or scout to think he was not used properly at Michigan and believe he is a Diamond in the rough. There is a reason he was a top recruit, and the nba drafts on potential all the time. Maybe someone thinking they can make him into a Duncan Robinson? He’s also really young so time to develop him as a g league project if a team drafts him. I personally don’t think I would draft him right now, and don’t think he is ready for the league, but you just never know.
He doesn’t have to offer a team something “right now:” he’s 6’8” and can shoot. A team can be patient with him, bring him in and develop him for a year or two and GET him ready.
You think he’s that much better than the other names on that list that he got a draft promise and the others didn’t? I don’t think he’s there yet.
Did you even read what I said? He doesn’t have to be there yet. It’s not about the player he is today. It’s about the player teams think they can turn him into.
Odd to declare for the draft but turn down a combine invite. You don't often see that.
If you’re given a guarantee a team is taking you in the 1st, there’s no real reason to go to the combine.
He can’t shoot though. He shot 35% from 3 and could only make wide open looks on home court. On the road and or off a screen or off the dribble and he was terrible. He should have more spacing in the NBA to get those looks, but I would be shocked if someone game him a promise. Look at Duncan Robinson who is a much more developed and refined version of Houstan. He just got benched in the playoffs for not being able to defend and he’s probably a better defender than Houstan
Houstan doesn’t come close to showing the athleticism, foot speed, and strength for the NBA.
It seems to me he would get suffocated and swallowed by match up problems.
Duncan Robinson just turned 28. Caleb Houstan won't turn 28 until January 2031. He has so much time to develop and is far ahead of where Robinson was at age 19 (Robinson was starting his freshman year at Williams at this point in his career).
Houstan absolutely can shoot. He had a wonky year but there’s enough data from playing elite competition in high school and internationally to say with ease that the kid can shoot the rock. Enough scouting to adequately assess his mechanics.
Now you’re comparing him to Duncan… Houstan is a freshman. Duncan was playing D3 basketball as a freshman. There’s no way to compare the two right now.
If the NBA is known for anything it's patience.
Can shoot?
Based on what...
The entire scouting experience of him coming out of high school and international play. Had a wonky year struggling with confidence but he has the mechanics to be a consistent shooter.
This isn’t some under the radar kid. Played at an elite high school, played against elite competition, played international ball. He was HEAVILY scouted and was considered one of the premier shooters of the class.
Was considered. Not proven. I wish him luck. Maybe we'll hear from him again in years to come.
Pure supply and demand. Gotta know what else is available.
Jooooooooooooe Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuumars
What could he even be projected to offer an NBA team in a few years? Seems like by the time he's good enough to be pulled from the G league to the NBA, there'll be a boatload of better players ahead of him, both just coming out of college and also competing against him in the G league.
That would just be such a bizarre promise to make for any team without a combine. He's not exactly some known entity.
The point of making a promise now is to lock up a player you like without letting the other teams see him work out. The idea that some team likes Houstan enough to gamble a little on him is not bizarre at all to me. The draft is a big gamble anyway.
How exactly does this lock him up? Every team has seem his tape. What does a promise do to prevent any other team from drafting him?
A promise keeps teams from seeing him at the combine, and typically also involves limiting the other teams he would take visits to. Accordingly another team who might be interested can’t get the info to be sure they want him higher. They can still pick him (and it happens sometimes). But Houstan would have a drafting floor of the team that promised him, and a ceiling of whomever wants to gamble on him without working him out.
My bet would be the Spurs having promised him. They have two picks in the 20s and three 1sts overall, and are known for picking guys they are willing to develop for 2-3 years. Makes sense for them to take a gamble.
How or why would anyone rely on such a promise? The team could change their mind on draft day when another higher-valued prospect becomes available. Then what? He’d be screwed because no one else would take him. He’s be unable to return to school. That sounds like a crazy-stupid risk.
But I still don’t understand why he wouldn’t still work out. What’s the risk? If he tests great, he might get interest higher up on the board from other teams for more money.
The only risk, I guess, is not testing great and that team promised you no longer wants you. But then he should’ve (and will) go/ne back to school anyway if that’s the case. And he hasn’t risked his eligibility like he would if he stays in the draft and isn’t drafted.