Houstan: Is he NBA ready?
Seeing the advancement of Ivey from Freshman to Sophomore year and the different slumps Houstan has been in throughout the season; is he ready to be one and done?
Dickinson although ar a different position had a more impactful role on the Team last year and decided (through NBA grading) to come back,
Does he return for another year to marinate under Howard's tutelage?
February 11th, 2022 at 9:46 AM ^
Well, I look forward to a civil conversation on the topic!
Also, Houstan's dad - can you please let us have a chat without getting defensive?
February 11th, 2022 at 10:34 AM ^
Is Houstan’s dad an active member on here?
February 11th, 2022 at 11:12 AM ^
To some, it appears that way. But no.
February 11th, 2022 at 9:49 AM ^
Would be nice if he does come back but I’m not holding my breath.
Draft projections aren’t all that matter. If he wants to go pro, he’ll be able to and NBA/G League ecosystem would gladly take him to develop there.
February 11th, 2022 at 10:17 AM ^
and blow his potential up like Darius Morris.
February 11th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
I know we selfishly want the good players to stay as long as possible but having more time to work on basketball is conducive to getting better at basketball, faster.
G League is also a much better development atmosphere than it used to be.
February 11th, 2022 at 11:04 AM ^
Then why do the majority of the players in the G-League stay there?
It's a place for players to earn a little cash and/or rehab from injury.
People need to stay in college if they aren't ready, simply because not getting drafted in the 1st round is a huge hurdle that few recover from. If you don't get that guaranteed money, it's not going to be a great situation.
Caleb has great potential, but he's not ready. He needs another year, just as Diabate does.
February 11th, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
If he ends up in the G league, then Houstan will make like $35k per year salary. He could probably do better than that staying at Michigan and making NIL money, and get just as good coaching/development.
February 11th, 2022 at 11:50 AM ^
I think people don't fully realize what the G-League is about. There's this assumption that they are getting elite training, playing against the best of the best, and working their way up to the bigs.
The G-League is none of that. The coaches are coming and going, players are coming and going, and the VAST MAJORITY of players in the G-League will spend their career there. It is a very transient experience; it's not some great developmental system.
I could argue that Houstan is going up against better competition like he did last night, going up against guys like Jaden Ivey (who will never sniff the G-League), Trevion Williams, Mason Gillis, and Zach Edey compared to the G-League competition.
The experience in a big time conference such as the B10 is just as good as spending your time in the G-League.
February 11th, 2022 at 1:02 PM ^
I don't think going up against better talent is what he needs to improve
February 11th, 2022 at 1:15 PM ^
Exactly. G-leaguers rarely get out, when they do it's rarely to the NBA. This would probably be a bad choice for Houstan.
February 11th, 2022 at 11:50 AM ^
That's not exactly accurate for a player of Houstan's profile. Jalen Green made 500k last year. Sharife Cooper makes about that much. If you're an underager or UDFA you might be in the 35k range. But there's a lot of ways for a player to make a lot more.
February 11th, 2022 at 12:00 PM ^
Problem with this proposition is that unless the rules change, he can't make NIL money in the States, because he is on a student visa from Canada. It really changes the calculus for international players like him and Diabate, and in the wrong direction for us
February 11th, 2022 at 12:21 PM ^
Ah yes. I forgot that he is Canadian. Good point.
February 11th, 2022 at 1:10 PM ^
Couldn't a trust be set up here and funded with NIL money to benefit the foreign guys indirectly?
February 11th, 2022 at 12:21 PM ^
If Houstan is in the US on a student visa he can't make NIL money just like Ojabo couldn't. Same thing with Diabate
February 11th, 2022 at 11:58 AM ^
I hope they stay but you’re flat wrong on a lot of this. There are reasons there’s a new record for early NBA draft entrants just about every year. Whether a given player stays or not is more about where does he want to be than where does he have to be.
G League has put a ton of guys in the NBA and is now also a place to develop young guys exactly like our five stars. Look at the Select Team.
Not getting drafted in the first round hasn’t been a huge hurdle in quite some time. Look at some random rosters to see the number of second rounders and UDFAs across the league. If you stick in the NBA you’re actually better off missing the first round because you hit free agency more quickly and at an earlier age.
February 11th, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
Uhh, G League has put a ton of guys in the NBA?
February 11th, 2022 at 1:43 PM ^
Something like 45 percent of NBA rosters on opening night had G League experience.
That includes guys who got reps there in between NBA stints, but the developmental league has come a long way of late.
G League is mostly a dead end was true a decade ago, times change!
February 11th, 2022 at 4:32 PM ^
That stat is absolutely useless. Jerami Grant has G League experience and would be included in that 45%. He went there to rehab an injury. Klay Thompson went there to rehab as well. Would you classify either one of those players as someone who the G League sent to the NBA?
February 11th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
Just maybe he would like the broader exposure to education that Michigan offers? Either way, he gets eaten up in the NBA as it stands now.
February 11th, 2022 at 11:47 AM ^
I hope he does! I’m not rooting for him to go pro, it’s just a viable option regardless of draft projections.
February 11th, 2022 at 1:21 PM ^
or duncan robinson.
February 11th, 2022 at 9:52 AM ^
Is Hank Williams Jr ready for the NFL?
February 11th, 2022 at 1:08 PM ^
I think he’s ready for some football!
February 11th, 2022 at 1:25 PM ^
obligatory.
February 11th, 2022 at 2:08 PM ^
I'll take Carrie Underwood for $200
February 11th, 2022 at 9:53 AM ^
All depends on whether his team projects his stock to raise more in staying another year vs lowering by being another year older.
February 11th, 2022 at 10:23 AM ^
Remember Houstan should still be in high school he graduated early to enroll and pretty sure he will only be 19 when drafted. So another year isn't going to hurt his age. If he wants to improve draft stock and make more money with a better draft position then he needs to come back. He needs to improve quite a few things before he leaves IMO.
February 11th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
Not many people turn 19 in high school. Caleb is the same age as most first-year students.
Speaking of which, could any MGoTexans tell me if the "Texas redshirting" (where boys are held back so they'll be bigger for football) still happening.
February 11th, 2022 at 11:40 AM ^
Happens all over the country, hence the reason Hunter Dickinson is a 21 year old Sophmore
February 11th, 2022 at 11:48 AM ^
sometimes its unintentional. i mean, 3rd grade was the three hardest years of my life...
February 11th, 2022 at 11:58 AM ^
Things have changed a lot. My son is a 16 year old junior and he is very young in his grade. He plays baseball and I stalk the recruiting profiles of the best players on the other teams and many of them are 18 year old juniors or 19 year old seniors. Parents are intentionally holding kids back in elementary school to get this advantage.
February 11th, 2022 at 1:29 PM ^
For 99.9% of the population, the age difference helps in athletics. College coaches aren't looking at ages too much when offering scholarships. But to the NBA, it absolutely matters. Older prospects are evaluated more critically than their younger peers, all else equal.
February 11th, 2022 at 5:35 PM ^
Lol… we call that “redshirting” amazing how many 6 YO kindergartners there are now a days…
On a side note this topic always brings me back to Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers and the data he presents on Hockey development as well as the 10,000 hour concept…
February 11th, 2022 at 9:54 AM ^
He's gone, along with Dickinson and Diabate.
February 11th, 2022 at 10:34 AM ^
The guy averages 20 points a game and no one seems to be able to spell his name correctly. Smh
February 11th, 2022 at 9:55 AM ^
Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue!
February 11th, 2022 at 9:55 AM ^
Can he go pro? Sure - why not? Hell, I could declare for the draft today!
But if you take the G-League out of the equation, I'm pretty sure I have as much chance to actually be drafted right now as Caleb does... He cannot create his own shot. He cannot defend. He cannot handle the ball well enough to keep it away from NBA defenders. And he doesn't have the athleticism to make up for any of those limitations, let alone ALL of them.
I mean, I barely watch hoops until March, and don't believe I've seen an NBA game in 15+ years. Yet, surely you could ask better questions than this?
Nonetheless, Mr Houstan, your son has a helluva future when he puts all of this stuff together. He'll grow quickly and the game will eventually slow down for him. His future is bright!
February 11th, 2022 at 10:00 AM ^
I'm pretty sure I have as much chance to actually be drafted right now as Caleb does.
I'm pretty sure you don't, and would bet any amount of money you could raise on it. As said here before, over 100 times, the NBA draft is about potential, not actual production. He has a better opportunity to get drafted than Hunter. Is it fair, no, but is it accurate, it sure as hell is.
February 11th, 2022 at 10:13 AM ^
Houstan and Diabate will both be drafted ahead of Dickinson.
February 11th, 2022 at 10:23 AM ^
Why are people/nba low on Hunter? This step out shot has had to really boost his draft stock. He reminds me of a Myles Turner. Not sure how he doesn’t have a spot as at least a backup 5 in league. Big guys that can shoot is always wanted.
February 11th, 2022 at 10:51 AM ^
I agree. He is improving his stock, but he is slow afoot and will have trouble guarding stretch 5's and will have trouble creating his shot against athletic bigs.
February 11th, 2022 at 10:52 AM ^
He'll be a complete defensive liability in the NBA. He doesn't have the speed, quickness, or general athleticism right now to run with the uber-athletes in the league.
Early on, I thought he'd be a lock for the first round, but the more I watch, the more it becomes clear that he may just not have the physical tools necessary.
February 11th, 2022 at 10:58 AM ^
He can't play defense in any kind of space. In the NBA opposing coaches can and will run the same pick-and-roll play all game long against HD, and score bunches of points.
Duncan Robinson couldn't play any defense at all at this point in his career, so there's that, I guess.
February 11th, 2022 at 11:23 AM ^
Same reason why Luka Garza, arguable the greatest offensive player in the history of CBB, was taken at the very end of the 2nd round of the NBA draft and will only ever top out as a two-way player / minimum-contract end-of-bench player: defense. IF you are a big man, you have to be able to adequately defend in space or on the perimeter or else you are a total liability to any NBA team. That's just a function of the way the game is played.
Hunter is severely lacking in the athletic ability to defend in space, against both ball screens or in isolation. Additionally, he really is not a dominant rim protector and has a tough time challenging opposing big men when they establish low post position.
February 11th, 2022 at 11:36 AM ^
When someone says "defend in space", what does that mean? Is that playing one on one defense against a single ball handler?
February 11th, 2022 at 11:45 AM ^
It can mean that yes. It can also mean defending against the pick-and-roll. Many NBA teams will switch everything. In a hypothetical situation where Hunter is on an NBA team, if he is switched onto the ball-handler after a screen, he's going to get blown by every single time. If the team he was on switched to drop coverage, he would still be eaten alive because almost every roll-man in the league would take advantage of Hunter's poor leaping ability (space is three dimensional after all). From what I understand, "defend in space" is just a euphemism for anything that's not defending a post-up or a spot-up shooter.