Getty Ignas Brazdeikis #13 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates a shot in the second half during a college basketball game against the Maryland Terrapins.
John Beilein and Michigan have some recent history smuggling Canadian players across the border. In 2013, he reeled in current Cleveland Cav Nik Stauskas from Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto. Only 6 years later, freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis drove to Ann Arbor from Mono, a town just hours from Stauskas’ hometown.
Brazdeikis is also one of a trio of Canadian freshmen taking college basketball by storm this season. Duke’s R.J. Barrett and Arizona State’s Luguentz Dort (also from Mono) both figure into the first-round of this April’s NBA Draft.
Brazdeikis isn’t quite there yet, but he can change that with a productive run in this year’s NCAA Tournament, which starts Thursday for the Wolverines versus Montana (9:20 p.m. EST, TNT).
One of the top-30 players in college basketball, the 6-foot-7, 215-pounder has averaged 15.1 points partly with 42 percent shooting from 3. He hit the national scene with a 24-point outburst in Michigan’s blowout win over current No. 1 seed North Carolina.
In 3 matchups against rival Michigan State (all losses), he averaged 18.3 points against one of the nation’s top-10 defenses. He also scored in double figures in 17 of 20 conference games.
Where does this production land him in NBA Draft projections? Let’s take a dive into his prognostications, as well as mock drafts and big boards.
Ignas Brazdeikis NBA Draft Projections & Mock Draft
Bleacher Report called him a “fringe first-round prospect” back in early December.
He combines skill and hustle, generating offense with dribble moves, shotmaking and off-ball effort and activity. He’s kept defenders honest by hitting seven of 18 threes, which has opened up his driving game and ability to score on the move with crafty runners and improvised layups.
Brazdeikis has even earned the freedom to initiate offense off defensive rebounds and handle it in ball-screen situations.
There will be debate regarding his NBA potential, with questions over his perimeter quickness and his size inside. But Brazdeikis figures to be a focal point of one of the nation’s premier teams and a hot topic for scouts.
Since then, the projections have him either in the second round or out of the draft entirely. Jonathan Wasserman has him as the No. 36 overall prospect.
Averaging 18.0 points over Michigan’s last six games, Brazdeikis is scoring and shooting with obvious confidence entering March Madness. As a ball-handler shot-maker, he’s competitive and skilled with NBA size for a wing. But he isn’t a great athlete and has totaled just 30 assists all season, despite playing 29.7 minutes per game.
Our own Jon Adams left him off his most recent NBA Mock Draft. Jeremy Woo of SI.com once had him as the No. 27 overall prospect on his mock draft. Now Woo leaves him off his pre-tournament update.
Ignas Brazdeikis NBA Draft Big Board Rankings
Aran Smith’s NBA Draft Net pegs Paschall as a second-round option as his No. 47 overall prospect.
ESPN’s Draft Board has him as the No. 21 power forward and No. 86 player overall. As SI.com pointed out early in the season, a lot of scouts have slowed played him due to his Canadian origins.
Brazdeikis hails from Canada (his parents are Lithuanian), is a year old for his class (he turns 20 in January) and was left off of the majority of Top 100 rankings given he didn’t play high school ball in the United States. He did play at this year’s Hoop Summit, and he’s begun to build some buzz for himself with his early play.
Brazdeikis’ has a major problem: his offense doesn’t facilitate production from others. He dished out only 19 assists in 20 conference games and frequently gets tunnel vision when driving to the lane. When he gets the ball, he’s either doing it all himself or relinquishing the ball early in the possession.
His personal skill-set is vast: good physique, repeatable shot, excellent hustle. Once he learns how to multi-task and kick the ball out to the perimeter, he’ll be hard to stop.
With another year under John Beilein’s tutelage, expect Brazdeikis to continue climbing draft boards. He could follow the path of fellow Wolverines turned professionals such as Stauskas, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Caris LeVert.