After spending much of his freshman season as the third or fourth offensive option behind players like Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Glenn Robinson III, Michigan's Nik Stauskas has grabbed the 2013-14 team's reins and run with them.
Stauskas is no longer just a three-point shooter. He has added the ability to get to the rim and create for teammates in a year when Michigan badly needed it. The sophomore has not only raised his points per game from 11 to 18.5, he also leads the team in assists, free throw percentage and field goal percentage (among players averaging more than three minutes per game).
More importantly, Stauskas has shined for the Wolverines on the big stage. In Michigan's last two victories against top 10 conference opponents, he has scored a combined 49 points, nine assists and nine rebounds.
Thanks to Stauskas's leadership, Michigan is one of just two remaining undefeated teams atop the Big Ten.
But with so much success comes the question of "how long will it last?" Stauskas, previously thought to be a three-year college player at least, is getting more and more consideration for the 2014 NBA draft.
Though Nik is currently considered a mid-second round talent, his father, Paul Stauskas may have revealed his son's tentative short-term plan earlier this week.
"He knows he has to keep his nose to the grindstone for another couple of months," Paul told SI.com. "And there's a really good chance he might be able to go pro. He's worked really hard to achieve that."
An early exit from Stauskas clearly would be a huge blow for John Beilein's team. After losing first-round draft picks in Burke and Hardaway, Jr. last year, the team is already uncertain about the future of injured All-American forward Mitch McGary.
McGary has yet to play a full season in college, but he has proven that he has a ton of talent when healthy, and will turn 22 in June, making him old enough to be a senior.
Stauskas smartly brushed aside his father's comments. According to the Detroit Free Press, he said "I apologize for my father's comments, he doesn't know what he's talking about. I haven't really thought anything about that yet and we'll just address that after the season."
Though the choice has likely crossed his mind a few times during the season, Stauskas has clearly been focused on helping Michigan return to the Final Four in 2014. His play hasn't suggested that the option to go pro has been a distraction, though he has earned the heightened consideration.
Maybe the biggest factor working in Michigan's favor is the strength of the 2014 draft. Star players such as Duke's Jabari Parker, Kansas' Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, and Kentucky's Julius Randle have marked this year's draft as the strongest since 2003, when players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade were chosen.
If Stauskas stayed at Michigan for one more season, his ability to improve himself during the offseason, combined with the much weaker class of draftees, could easily propel him into the first round in 2015.
But if he declares for the pros, Michigan will just have to move on and fill the gap. Elite college programs send players to the the draft every season and bounce right back; Beilein will want his team to follow suit.
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