Wolverines in the NBA: Jordan Poole injury status, other playoff notes and was Franz Wagner the Magic's MVP?
Michigan Wolverines basketball has four former players in the NBA Playoffs — guards Caris LeVert (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Jordan Poole (Golden State Warriors) and forwards Moussa Diabate (Los Angeles Clippers) and Duncan Robinson (Miami Heat).
The Cavaliers believe they have the best bench depth in the NBA, and that’s led by LeVert, who comes off the bench and averaged the fifth-most minutes per game on the team (30.2) during the regular season.
LeVert had a rocky Game 1, with the No. 4 seed Cavs falling to the No. 5 seed New York Knicks, 101-97. He put up 3 points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 18 minutes.
The two teams will play Tuesday night in Cleveland (7:30 p.m. ET on TNT).
Poole is another former Michigan guard who plays a key role off the bench, for the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
Poole and teammates Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined to make 779 three-pointers for the defending champs this season — the most by a trio on the same team in NBA history. The three also all averaged over 20 points per game (Poole was at 20.4), a first for a trio of backcourt players on the same squad.
Poole put up 17 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including a 2-of-5 mark from three-point range, with 7 made free throws, 3 assists, 1 rebound and 1 block in the sixth-seeded Warriors’ 126-123 loss to the No. 3 seed Sacramento Kings.
Poole was one of just 10 NBA players to play in all 82 regular-season games, but he’s questionable for Game 2 in Sacramento Monday night (10 p.m. ET on TNT). He rolled his ankle going to the hoop in Game 1 and is listed as “questionable.”
“Extended conversation between Jordan Poole and [director of sports medicine] Rick Celebrini after shootaround this morning,” The Athletic‘s Anthony Slater tweeted Tuesday morning. “Poole remains questionable with a left ankle sprain. Left the court after talking with Celebrini.”
Robinson has been in and out of the rotation for the Heat all season long, including after returning from a finger injury that required surgery in January. However, his opportunity may be coming. Heat guard Tyler Herro broke multiple fingers on his right hand in Game 1 of the No. 8 seed Heat’s 130-117 win over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Robinson was thrust into action, starting the second half and logging 6 minutes, and he nailed a late-third-quarter three-pointer from the left corner, his 89th made triple of the season.
The Heat will piece things together going forward, with Herro set to miss four-to-six weeks. The former Michigan sharpshooter may be a part of the plan.
“None of this was happening without a lot of different contributions,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Everybody that played put their fingerprints on it in some fashion, and that’s what you need in the playoffs, particularly against a very good team.”
Robinson has postseason experience, with 91 made threes in 39 playoff games. He was a starter on the 2020 team that made the NBA Finals.
The Heat are looking to pull off the upset over one of the overall title favorites. The Bucks have the second-best odds to win the NBA Finals, per DraftKings Sportsbook, at +330. The Celtics lead the way at +260. Game 2 in Milwaukee is Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on NBA TV.
Diabate, meanwhile, didn’t appear in Game 1 of the Clippers’ series with the Phoenix Suns, a 115-110 Los Angeles win. The Michigan rookie was up and down between the NBA and the G League and hasn’t seen more than 10 minutes in an NBA game since Jan. 29. Game 2 will be held Tuesday evening in Phoenix (10 p.m. ET on TNT).
Diabate spent his first professional season on a two-way contract between the Clippers and its G League affiliate. He was named to the G League All-Rookie team, averaging 15.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 18 games.
Was Franz Wagner the Orlando Magic’s MVP in 2022-23?
Former Michigan wing Franz Wagner had a stellar first NBA season last year and was named to the All-Rookie First Team. He took a leap this season, ranking second on the team with 18.6 points per game and adding 4.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1 steal per contest. He shot 48.5 percent overall and 36.1 percent from three-point range.
Bleacher Report named Wagner the team’s MVP in a recent superlatives article, placing him ahead of leading scorer and rookie Paolo Banchero, a former Duke standout.
“As the season’s leading Rookie of the Year candidate, Banchero understandably got most of the attention headed Orlando’s way, but Franz Wagner was quietly among the NBA’s best forwards in 2022-23,” the site’s Andy Bailey wrote.
“If you sort every player in the league by the average of their ranks in 10 catch-all metrics, Wagner finished in the top 50, with averages of 18.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists.”
