:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54066277/usa_today_9949718.0.jpg)
D.J. Wilson had himself a heck of a season and we have heard some rumblings of NBA interest, but ESPN has made the boldest statement yet on it.
In fact, in their way-too-early 2018 projections, they said it is a “foregone conclusion” that the Michigan basketball forward leaves for the NBA.
No matter how good a prospect you are, it can be easy to get lost in Kentucky’s annual NBA churn. Former Kentucky guard Charles Matthews found refuge from this uncertainty with a transfer to Michigan, and he’ll take the floor for coach John Beilein next season. The timing couldn’t be better, as Michigan will lose heart-and-soul point guard Derrick Walton Jr., as well as senior off-guard Zak Irvin. (Xavier Simpson and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman will help in this regard.) Forward D.J. Wilson‘s game flourished down the stretch to the point that the NBA seems like a foregone conclusion, and that’s a heavy blow, at least relative to the opportunity cost of a fully realized Wilson back on a college floor for one more season. Still, forward Moritz Wagner — himself an intriguing draft prospect — could excel with more touches.
Color me skeptical on this one. That is a pretty bold take considering all has been quiet on that front since the end of the tournament.
Wilson could leave, but it does not seem like a foregone conclusion by any means. His best basketball is still ahead of him and I think Michigan feels that they have some unfinished business to take care of next season despite the fact they lose Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin.
Wilson, and Moe Wagner, will probably be lottery pick candidates heading into next season. However, this is as deep an NBA Draft class that there has been in recent seasons.
Whatever Wilson ends up doing, there is not any chatter at the moment suggesting that it is even a remote possibility he leaves from the local media, so it’s safe to back off from the ledge for now.