Michigan basketball: Caleb Houstan a first-rounder in updated ESPN mock
Michigan basketball one-and-done forward Caleb Houstan continues to appear in the first round of different mock drafts. The latest comes from ESPN following a trade between the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks this week.
The Michigan product comes off the board with the No. 29 overall pick to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he gets to play with start point guard Ja Morant. This would put him on a team that looks it it can compete in the Western Conference for some time. His teammate, big man Moussa Diabate, did not appear in the latest mock.
“One of the big mysteries of the 2022 NBA draft is where Houstan, once a projected top-10 pick, ends up,” Givony writes. “Houstan declined his invite to the NBA combine, indicating there might be something to the rumors of a first-round promise, or that Houstan has a landing spot with which he’s comfortable in the form of a ‘soft promise,’ which would only prevent him from working out for teams outside a certain range. Houstan’s positional size, defensive awareness and perimeter shooting gives him a high floor as a prospect, despite his disappointing freshman season at Michigan.”
Houstan and Diabate’s Michigan backgrounds
Houstan, who was a five-star signee and No. 10 prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, started 34 games 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 did not appear in the first round of the CBS Sports mock draft.
ESPN’s full mock draft with one Michigan Wolverine
Round 1
1) Orlando Magic — Jabari Smith, F, Auburn
2) Oklahoma City Thunder — Chet Holmgren, F, Gonzaga
3) Houston Rockets — Paolo Banchero, F, Duke
4) Sacramento Kings — Jaden Ivey, G, Purdue
5) Detroit Pistons — Keegan Murray, F, Iowa
6) Indiana Pacers — Bennedict Mathurin, F, Arizona
7) Portland Trail Blazers — Dyson Daniels, G, G-League Ignite
8) New Orleans Pelicans — Shaedon Sharpe, G, Kentucky
9) San Antonio Spurs — Jalen Duren, C, Memphis
10) Washington Wizards — Johnny Davis, G, Wisconsin
11) New York Knicks — AJ Griffin, F, Duke
12) Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC) – Ousmane Dieng, F, France
13) Charlotte Hornets — Jeremy Sochan, F, Baylor
14) Cleveland Cavaliers – Ochai Agbaji, F, Kansas
15) Charlotte Hornets (via NO) – Mark Williams, C, Duke
16) Atlanta Hawks — Malaki Branham, G, Ohio State
17) Houston Rockets — Tari Eason, F, LSU
18) Chicago Bulls — Jalen Williams, F, Santa Clara
19) Minnesota Timberwolves — Walker Kessler, C, Auburn
20) San Antonio Spurs (via TOR) — Blake Wesley, G, Notre Dame
21) Denver Nuggets — TyTy Washington Jr, G, Kentucky
22) Memphis Grizzlies (via UTAH) — Kennedy Chandler, G, Tennessee
23) Philadelphia 76ers — Jaden Hardy, G, G-League Ignite
24) Milwaukee Bucks — Nikola Jovic, F, Serbia
25) San Antonio Spurs (via BOS) — EJ Liddell, F, Ohio State
26) Houston Rockets (via DAL) — MarJon Beauchamp, G, G-League Ignite
27) Miami Heat — Dalen Terry, G, Arizona
28) Golden State Warriors — Jake LaRavia, F, Wake Forest
29) Memphis Grizzlies — Caleb Houstan, F, Michigan
30) Oklahoma City Thunder (via PHX) — David Roddy, F, Colorado State
Round 2
31) Indiana Pacers (via HOU) — Andrew Nembhard, G, Gonzaga
32) Orlando Magic — Christian Braun, G, Kansas
33) Toronto Raptors (via DET) — Peyton Watson, F, UCLA
34) Oklahoma City Thunder — Jaylin Williams, C, Arkansas
35) Orlando Magic (via IND) — Trevor Keels, G, Duke
36) Portland Trailblazers — Wendell Moore Jr, F, Duke
37) Sacramento Kings — Christian Koloko, C, Arizona
38) San Antonio Spurs (via LAL) — Khalifa Diop, C, Senegal
39) Cleveland Cavaliers (via SA) — Bryce McGowens, G, Nebraska
40) Minnesota Timberwolves (via WAS) — Kendall Brown, F, Baylor
41) New Orleans Pelicans — Patrick Baldwin Jr, F, Milwaukee
42) New York Knicks — Hugo Besson, G, France
43) Los Angeles Clippers — Ismael Kamagate, C, France
44) Atlanta Hawks — Ryan Rollins, SG, Toledo
45) Charlotte Hornets — Justin Lewis, F, Marquette
46) Detroit Pistons (via BKN) — Max Christie, G, Michigan State
47) Memphis Grizzlies (via CLE) — JD Davison, G, Alabama
48) Minnesota Timberwolves — Josh Minott, F, Memphis
49) Sacramento Kings (via CHI) — Jean Montero, G, Overtime Elite
50) Minnesota Timberwolves (via DEN) — Dominick Barlow, F, Overtime Elite
51) Golden State Warriors — Michael Foster, F, G League Ignite
52) New Orleans Pelicans (via UTAH) — Gabriele Procida, SG, Italy
53) Boston Celtics — Dereon Seabron, G, NC State
54) Washington Wizards (via DAL) — Yannick Nzosa, C, DR Congo
55) Washington Wizards — Ron Harper Jr., F, Rutgers
56) Cleveland Cavaliers (via MIA) — Karlo Matkovic, C, Serbia
57) Portland Trailblazers (via MEM) — Matteo Spagnolo, G, Italy
58) Indiana Pacers (via PHX) — Ziga Samar, PG, Spain
