Hunter Dickinson Withdraws From Draft, Will Return To Michigan For His Sophomore Season

Remember 2 years ago when people thought the Michigan basketball program was dead because John Beilein went to the NBA? Yeah, me neither. Hunter Dickinson has officially withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft and will return to Michigan for his sophomore season. Dickinson was a revelation last year, winning Big Ten Freshman Of The Year. He was 2nd Team All-American and helped lead Michigan to the Elite 8 and an outright Big Ten Title. He tested the NBA waters, as most talented players seem to do nowadays. I was probably a little bit more skeptical than most about whether or not he would come back. He had things to work on, but the athleticism was there as well as the upside, and once you get past the lottery, teams often draft based on upside anyway. 

I love this guy. I love his game, I love his personality, I love that he’s a Stoolie. I think he’s such a great representative of the Michigan basketball program and the kind of player that you want on your team. Based on his social media, it seems like Hunter Dickinson has been in the gym every day since Michigan lost to UCLA in the Elite 8 last year. I think that there’s another element to his game that hasn’t been tapped into yet. Next year we’re going to see him shooting a lot more jump shots and taking a lot more chances from beyond the arc. I think it’s only going to make him a more versatile and better player.

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Michigan’s lineup next year will primarily feature a grad transfer who was Conference Player Of The Year at Coastal Carolina named Devonte Jones, a 5th year senior in Eli Brooks, who is one of the best on ball defenders in the Big Ten, a 4th year senior in Brandon Johns, a 2nd team All-American in Hunter Dickinson and two 5 Star McDonald’s All Americans in Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate. There is an element of fun to the Michigan basketball program right now that wasn’t there even in the best Beilein years. Come November, everyone’s record is going to be 0 and 0. Nothing is confirmed, nothing is guaranteed, but for the time being, Michigan fans should enjoy this. More Hunter Dickinson is never a bad thing.

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