Two months ago, Michigan’s Isaiah Livers and Michigan State’s Aaron Henry announced they were going pro and entering the NBA Draft.
Next week, the former Wolverine and former Spartan will take the next step of the pre-draft process together at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
The NBA announced the field of expected participants for the draft showcase, which will be held June 21-27 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis, and Livers and Henry were among the 69 players on the list.
Receiving an invitation to the event is a promising sign for Livers and Henry and bodes well for their draft odds. Henry’s name has appeared anywhere from late in the first round to early in the second round in mock drafts, while Livers has been pegged as a mid-to-late second-round pick in most projections.
Henry will have a chance to improve his draft stock by participating in five-on-five scrimmages and shooting and agility drills in front of NBA personnel. Livers, though, will likely only take part in the interview portions as he continues to recover from April foot surgery.
Henry, a 6-foot-6 wing, averaged 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game as a junior last season, becoming the first Michigan State player in school history to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists since assists were first recorded in 1975. He was also named to the Big Ten’s all-defensive team.
Livers, a 6-7 forward, averaged a career-high 13.1 points, six rebounds and two assists and shot a career-best 43.1% from 3-point range before his senior season ended prematurely. He missed most of the postseason with a stress fracture in his right foot.
Among the notable players not on the draft combine list is Michigan wing Franz Wagner, a projected lottery pick who likely declined to participate.
Livers could potentially be joined by one of Michigan’s other draft entrants. Chaundee Brown, Hunter Dickinson, Mike Smith and DeVante’ Jones, a transfer guard who committed to the Wolverines this offseason, are taking part in the G League Elite Camp this weekend and could earn a combine invite based on their performance at the event.
jhawkins@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @jamesbhawkins