On Tuesday, Hunter Dickinson took to Twitter to announce that he has withdrawn from the 2021 NBA Draft so that he can return to Michigan for his sophomore season.
Following his announcement, Dickinson talked about why he made the decision to return to the Wolverines.
From Detroit Free Press:
“Once I really thought about it, I’ve always said from the start that I didn’t want to be a mid-to-late second round pick,” Dickinson said, “so I just wanted to stay true to myself and stay true to what I was saying from the beginning: That I wanted to be a first-round pick. Coming back, if that’s what I’ve got to do, then that’s what I’ve got to do.”
“I think just the combination of where NBA teams had me slotted to get drafted and then also the combination of being able to experience a normal year at Michigan, those two things were probably the biggest influencers for me and things that ultimately led to my decision to come back for another year.”
“Then I just kept thinking about the opportunity for me here, for another year, to be able to experience the college experience that I didn’t get to experience last year,” Dickinson said. “That started to push it toward coming back for another year.”
Dickinson said his teammates were very excited to hear the news.
“Obviously, they were pretty happy for me,” Dickinson said. “They enjoy having me around not only on the court but off the court. We’re going to have fun this year. I think that’s what everybody is expecting: For us to have a really fun and successful year.”
Expect for the Wolverines to be ranked in the top 10 (maybe even top 5) to start the 2021-22 season.