Beilein encourages Matthews through NBA draft process

Rosemont, Ill. — Charles Matthews didn’t get an invite to this week’s NBA Draft Combine, but Michigan coach John Beilein said there’s no reason for Matthews to halt the process of being evaluated heading into next month’s draft.

Matthews, a redshirt sophomore, has been going through workouts with NBA teams, and, should someone bail out before the Combine gets rolling on Wednesday, there’s a chance Matthews could still grab a spot.

“He’s had some tryouts and he’ll have some more,” Beilein said. “I encourage him to do all of those and make an educated decision and who knows. He’s right here in Chicago and if some people decide not to go he’d be sent. So, I’m all for him going. The more education you get the better.”

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Matthews did not hire an agent and has until May 30 to decide whether to return to Michigan or stay in the draft. After sitting out the 2016-17 season following his transfer from Kentucky, Matthews averaged 13 point and 5.5 rebounds a game for the Wolverines in 2017-18. In the team’s NCAA Tournament run, Matthews averaged 14.8 points over six games.

Whether he ends up at the Combine or not, Beilein believes Matthews will make a sound decision.

“He’s so driven and he wants to be a very good player,” Beilein said. “As we went through this with him, after we talked with him several times, this kid is so competitive he wants to know where he stands and he’s not gonna look at the NBA Advisory (Board) and say, ‘That’s where I stand.’ He wants to see it face to face. He wants to work out against other people and then he can make a better decision.

“I love Charles and he earned a lot of trust. This kid is so focused on being a good player. He not a big (social) media guy as far as Twitter accounts, he just wants to be a good player.”

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

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