Wolverine Wednesday: Clues to Clearing Up the Caleb Confusion

The NBA Lottery was last night and the Orlando Magic will pick #1, which will help the Wagner Brothers with some much-needed talent (Pistons pick 5th).  For Michigan fans that was only part of the story.   We all know the story about Caleb Houstan, a guy with a ton of upside that had a poor year last season.   He has skipped this week combine and some insiders are speculating he has a 1st round commitment from a team.   As hard as that is to believe, we might have gotten a bit of clarity around that situation, as Caleb showed up on his first mock draft after the lottery was complete.  Per ESPN:

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Suns)

Caleb Houstan
Michigan
SF
Age: 19.3

The Thunder have precious few roster spots at their disposal and four draft picks (three first-rounders), meaning there is a decent chance they won't be making this selection ultimately. One of the big mysteries surrounding the 2022 NBA draft will be where Caleb Houstan, a onetime projected top-10 pick, ends up. Houstan declined his invite to the NBA combine, indicating there might be something to the rumors of a first-round promise, or that Houstan has a landing spot he's comfortable with. Houstan's positional size, defensive awareness and perimeter shooting gives him a high floor as a prospect, despite his disappointing freshman season at Michigan.

I now believe there is little chance he will come back to Ann Arbor.  This situation is very interesting and confusing at the same time.  This secret commitment now seemly has come to light.  The risk here is OKC has 3 first round picks and might not have the 30th pick when that comes around.   If OKC is Caleb's only team with a 1st round grade, he could be playing a dangerous game. 

• Eli Brooks continues to impress at the G-League Combine.  He won the 3-point shooting drill and looked good during a scrimmage.   You interested OKC?