The 2026 NBA Combine is over, and now, it’s time for scouts and franchises to zoom in on their favorite player ahead of the NBA draft.
One of the strongest teams representing players in the draft is Michigan. That’s no surprise, since the Wolverines took the national championship last season.
What’s cool for University of Michigan fans is that following the Combine, a whopping three players from the team are projected to go in round one of the draft this year. Of course, it’s sad to lose these players to the pros, but it’s exciting to see the kind of athletes the Michigan program is producing.
In a mock out on Wednesday, May 20, Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports lays out his picks after the Combine. “Beyond the measurements and testing, the conversations behind the scenes provide an illuminating look at where some of the top NBA Draft prospects are trending,” he states in the piece.
He has not one, not two, but three Michigan players going in the first round of the draft alone. Those players are Aday Mara going at No. 8 to Atlanta, Yaxel Lendeborg going at No. 11 to the Warriors and Morez Johnson Jr. going at No. 17 to the Thunder.
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The biggest question mark here is Mara to the Hawks, because they could use a rookie point guard, and he’s a center. But, Trotter makes the case that this will still happen.
“Atlanta needs point guard help, but Mara to the Hawks is mouth-watering,” he states. “The 7-foot-3 Michigan center has a 7-foot-6 wingspan and improved his mobility tremendously. Mara has elite size for the position, and he’d be one of the top shot-blockers in the NBA from the jump.”
Trotter adds: “He got tougher at Michigan and also showed additional defensive versatility, along with his unique feel as a top-of-the-key playmaker who can make reads in DHOs or backdowns.”
My Take: Michigan is Proving It’s Becoming a Dynasty
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The modern-day college basketball dynasty has consisted of teams such as Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UConn and UCLA. But, that’s changed with the University of Michigan. They just won the Big Ten its first national championship since the Spartans did it in 2000, and now, they’re cranking out NBA prospects like there’s no tomorrow. Seeing that three Michigan players are likely to go in the first round of the NBA draft just shows how far this university has come under two years of Dusty May’s leadership.
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