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Michigan basketball projected to continue dominating Big Ten in first-round NBA Draft picks

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•7 hours ago•

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John Beilein Juwan Howard Dusty May
Michigan Wolverines basketball coaches John Beilein, Juwan Howard and Dusty May. (Photos by USA TODAY Sports Images)

Not only has March been Michigan basketball‘s time of year, but so has June, with the Wolverines having sent an impressive number of players to the draft.

The 2025 NBA Draft is set for Wednesday (first round) and Thursday (second round), and the Maize and Blue have two prospects that are projected to be selected in big men Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin. The event begins at 8 p.m. ET each night and will be aired on ABC (first-round only) and ESPN (full event).

Michigan has 67 all-time draft picks and ranks sixth among all colleges with 31 first-round selections.

The only programs with more first-round picks than Michigan are Kentucky (60), Duke (56), North Carolina (54), UCLA (43) and Kansas (36).

The Wolverines have had an incredible run in recent years, spanning eras coached by John Beilein and Juwan Howard, with Dusty May set to continue it. Since 2013, Michigan has had 16 picks, including 11 first-rounders, leading the Big Ten in both categories. UCLA has 18 overall draft choices and 10 first-rounders, but this is its first cycle as a Big Ten school.

Even when counting the four former Pac-12 members that joined the Big Ten in 2024, UCLA and Michigan are way out ahead of the rest of the pack. Oregon (11) and Michigan State (10) are the only other two programs with double-digit selections since 2013, while Indiana (9), Washington (9), Maryland (8) and USC (8) are approaching that threshold.

The first round is where Michigan has shined the most in that timeframe. The Wolverines’ 11 opening-round selections are one more than UCLA (10) and significantly ahead of Indiana (7), Washington (7), Michigan State (5), Oregon (4) and USC (4).

Here’s a look at Michigan’s NBA Draft picks since 2013:

YearPlayerRoundOverall PickTeam
2023Jett Howard111Orlando Magic
2023Kobe Bufkin115Atlanta Hawks
2022Caleb Houstan232Orlando Magic
2022Moussa Diabate243Los Angeles Clippers
2021Franz Wagner18Orlando Magic
2021Isaiah Livers242Detroit Pistons
2019Jordan Poole128Golden State Warriors
2019Ignas Brazdeikis247New York Knicks
2018Moritz Wagner125Los Angeles Lakers
2017DJ Wilson117Milwaukee Bucks
2016Caris LeVert120Brooklyn Nets
2014Nik Stauskas18Sacramento Kings
2014Mitch McGary121Oklahoma City Thunder
2014Glenn Robinson III240Minnesota Timberwolves
2013Trey Burke19Utah Jazz
2013Tim Hardaway Jr.124New York Knicks

In program history, Michigan has had two No. 1 selections, Cazzie Russell (1966, New York Knicks) and Chris Webber (1993, Orlando Magic), six top-five picks and 19 lottery choices.

With Wolf and Goldin both showing up in mock drafts, Michigan has a chance to have multiple players drafted in the same year for the 18th time. The last occurrence was Howard and Bufkin in 2023. The Wolverines didn’t have a player picked in 2024.

Danny Wolf mock drafts

Mock DraftRoundPickTeam
Sam Vecenie, The Athletic116Memphis Grizzlies (from Orlando)
Kyle Boone, CBS Sports117Minnesota Timberwolves (from Detroit)
USA Today123New Orleans Pelicans (from Indiana)
Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report121Utah Jazz (from Minnesota)
Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo Sports126Brooklyn Nets
Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, ESPN118Washington Wizards (from Memphis)

Vladislav Goldin mock drafts

Mock DraftRoundPickTeam
Sam Vecenie, The Athletic257Orlando Magic (from Boston)
Kyle Boone, CBS Sports259Houston Rockets (from OKC)
Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report259Houston Rockets (from OKC)
Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, ESPN249Cleveland Cavaliers (from Milwaukee)

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