The former five-star forward that chose Michigan over Duke, North Carolina, Arizona, and plenty of other schools has been drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 32nd pick in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft. Houstan will get to team up with former Wolverine, Franz Wagner with the Magic.
Houstan played for Montverde Academy in Montverde (Florida) in high school, but he was born in Ontario and was one of the most highly touted prospects in the 2022 class, but he ended up reclassifying to the 2021 recruiting cycle. Houstan, along with Moussa Diabate, helped propel Michigan to having the third-ranked class according to 247Sports composite. Houstan was ranked as the 11th overall prospect, largely due to his shooting range and the consistent shot he was going to bring to the college game. His 6-foot-8 frame had collegiate teams excited about what he could grow into as a stretch four.
Once Houstan got to Ann Arbor things started slow for the McDonald’s All-American, but there was never any doubt about the potential that Houstan had while being at Michigan for his lone year. During the 2021-2022 season, Houstan averaged 10 points-per-game, four rebounds-per-game, and he shot nearly 36% from 3. He struggled to find his footing away from Crisler Center, and other teams honed in on this — Houstan averaged 8 points-per-game and shot 26% from deep.
Houstan settled into a role behind Hunter Dickinson, Eli Brooks, and DeVante’ Jones. Houstan was primarily a spot-up shooter, but he showed flashes of what he could do off the dribble driving to the rim.
The former Wolverine didn’t compete in the combine and there was a serious buzz going around that Houstan had some sort of a promise from an NBA team stating he would be a first-round selection. But that didn’t come to fruition. Being a second-round pick, his contract will not be guaranteed, so Houstan will have to fight for a roster spot. It’ll be possible that Houstan will get to develop his game in the G-League, or he will have to carve out a niche role coming off the bench.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=60663]