20 Best NBA Draft Picks in Michigan Wolverines History
By Zac Snyder
player. 79. . Round 1. Pick 7 (1986). Roy Tarpley. 10
When Roy Tarpley played, he was one of the best NBA players to ever come from Michigan. The problem was that Tarpley wasn’t able to have a long career due to drug and alcohol issues. Suspensions took away what should have been Tarpley’s prime NBA years, and ultimately led to him being outright banned from the league.
Tarpley was named to the All-Rookie First team for the 1986-87 season and was the league’s Sixth Man of the Year the following season. Tarpley’s career PER average of 18.4 ranks second only to Chris Webber (we’ll get to him later) among all NBA players from the University of Michigan. His career was just 280 games played in total, but Tarpley finished with a double-double average of 12.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Next: Number 9