'I Think My Heart Was With The NBA': Michigan's Hunter Dickinson Explains His Decision

Dickinson's announcement to explore the NBA draft is a good move for several reasons.

Earlier this week, Michigan Basketball's Hunter Dickinson announced that he would be entering his name into the NBA draft and exploring his opportunities of playing at the next level.  While the move came as a surprise to many among the Michigan fan base, Dickinson's decision makes perfect sense for a big-time center who has aspirations of playing at the highest level.

During an interview with the Big Ten Network, Dickinson elaborated on how he came to his decision.

.@H_Dickinson24 announced this week he's entering the NBA Draft.

But "the window's definitely open" to returning to @umichbball, as he explains to @TheAndyKatz.

Full interview, including what Draft feedback he's searching for➡️ https://t.co/SvTxYq7TjD pic.twitter.com/BkhTrCr1OC

— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) May 28, 2021

"The decision for me to enter the draft was a really tough one for me because I think it was just two great situations for me to either stay in college for another year or to try and enter the NBA to become a professional athlete.  I mean, both decisions were decisions that I was ok with - and so that's why I think it took me so long.  But I think my heart was with the NBA and so that's where I wanted to go."

Though Dickinson was clear that his goal is to play in the NBA, he also made clear that the window is still open for a return to Michigan in 2021.

"The window is definitely open, that's why I was big on trying to get an NCAA certified agent.  I wanted guidance in the process but I also wanted to be able to retain my eligibility.  That was a very important thing for me just so that I could have that safety net of always having the opportunity or the option to come back to school."

If Dickinson does return to Michigan for the 2021 season, he'll do so as one of the top centers in all of college basketball with a tremendous opportunity to increase his draft stock.  During his freshman year, the 7-footer averaged just over 14 points per game and helped lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship and a trip to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.  

While Dickinson was certainly an impact player for the Wolverines, there's no question that there are elements to his game that could be improved upon in order to succeed at the next level.  The NBA game has evolved to the point where traditional NBA centers are few and far between, with many big men now able to play around the perimeter and taking defenders off the dribble - two things that Dickinson could spend the next year perfecting. 

That's exactly what Dickinson is hoping to learn by entering his name into the NBA draft.  Not only will he be able to build new relationships with key figures at the next level, he'll also receive valuable feedback about his game - what he does well and what he needs to improve upon.  

Regardless of how it ultimately plays out, this is a great move by the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year - one that will hopefully lead him back to Ann Arbor in 2021.