ESPN Insider: Teams believe Caleb Houstan may have first-round promise from NBA franchise
Michigan men’s basketball roster is still coming into focus with the offseason underway. The Wolverines are currently at the 13-man scholarship limit for the 2022-23 season, but a pair of decisions are still pending. Forward Caleb Houstan and big man Moussa Diabate are going through the NBA Draft process.
There has been growing buzz that both would remain there. Houstan’s case in particular could be trending in that direction.
Houstan was one of four draft-eligible invitees to the NBA Combine in Chicago this week that turned it down. This has led some to believe that a team has promised to select him in the draft.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who has been the point man on most Houstan news developments, took it a step further Monday. He says that there is a growing belief around the league that Houstan might have a first-round promise.
Below is what he and Mike Schmidtz said in a look at the combine storylines.
What ESPN is saying about the NBA Combine storylines
For the first time in memory, the NBA has been able to secure full attendance from all of the top prospects currently projected to be drafted, including Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero, as well as several international players.
Only four draftable players declined invites to Chicago: Yannick Nzosa, whose season ended Sunday in Spain; Kris Murray, who appears to be headed back to Iowa for his junior year; USC’s Isaiah Mobley, whose agency typically has its own draft strategy outside of the combine; and Michigan’s Caleb Houstan, who some NBA teams speculate already has a promise in the first round.
The G League and NBA combines will help provide valuable feedback to the many college players “testing the waters” before deciding whether to keep their names in the June 23 NBA draft or return to school by the June 1 deadline.
On Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate’s backgrounds
Houstan, who was a five-star signee and No. 10 prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, started every game at Michigan this season. He averaged 10.1 points, four rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Houstan shot 38.4% from the field with a 35.5% mark from three-point range. He came into the season as a potential NBA lottery pick but did not appear on draft boards at year’s end.
Diabate was Michigan’s other five-star addition in 2021 and started 26 of 32 games for the Wolverines. He averaged nine points and six rebounds per game while shooting 52.4% from the floor. Like Houstan, Diabate was also considered a potential lottery prospect. He is not present on prospect boards as of this posting.
The NBA Combine takes place from May 16-17 at WinTrust Arena in Chicago. Early entrants have until June 1 to remove themselves from the draft process and return to school.
