Skip to main content
Michigan
Join Now

Michigan wing Caleb Houstan declines NBA Draft Combine invite

Chris Balasby: Chris Balas05/11/22Balas_Wolverine

As reported yesterday, Michigan wing Caleb Houstan received an NBA Draft Combine invite. Today, it was confirmed, he declined to accept.

RELATED: Caleb Houstan receives NBA Draft Combine invite

It was surprising when the list was made available and Houstan’s name was missing. He and Iowa’s Kris Murray were reportedly the only two invited who declined.

Several have speculated this could mean Houstan is staying in the Draft regardless.

“For Houstan, there will now be a lot of speculation about promises and shut-downs, and rightfully so,” DraftExpress.com’s Jonathan Givony wrote in a tweet.

It could also mean he’s returning to Michigan, though nobody has confirmed either way.

Michigan wing had up and down freshman season

Houstan was one of two Michigan players to start all 34 games this year for the Wolverines. He joined guard Eli Brooks, who received an NBA G-League invite (it was announced today). The frosh averaged 10.1 points per game and led the team with 60 made triples, shooting 35.5 percent from behind the arc. 

He continued to improve defensively throughout the year and came up big in an NCAA Tournament game with Colorado State, making three triples. He finished with 13 points and three triples in a 75-63 Michigan win.

A former five-star recruit, Houstan will have until June 1 to pull out of the draft and return to Michigan. He’ll have sophomore eligibility if he goes that route.

Sixty players receive NBA Draft Combine invites, determined by voting from NBA front office members. The Combine runs May 18 through 20 in Chicago, where players are tested in several areas and also participate in games.

The G-League Elite Camp takes place on May 16 and 17 and includes the next 40 next best players. Last year, Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson and guard DeVante’ Jones participated. Both performed well but chose to return to U-M.

Watch for more on this development in the days to come …