20 Best NBA Draft Picks in Michigan Wolverines History
By Zac Snyder
169. . Round 1. Pick 2 (1970). Rudy Tomjanovich. 4. player
Younger fans will know him best as the coach of the World Champion Houston Rockets of the mid-1990s but Rudy Tomjanovich had a great career as a player, both as a Michigan Wolverine and in the NBA. Tomjanovich improved his scoring totals in each of his first four years in the NBA, culminating with being named to his first All-Star team in 1973-74. Rudy T averaged a career-best 24.5 points per game that season, along with 9.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
By the 1977-78 season, Tomjanovich had become a perennial All-Star, appearing the previous four games. However, an on-court incident resulted in Tomjanovich being punched by opposing player Kermit Washington, inflicting serious injuries that cost Tomjanovich the rest of the season. He returned the next season to make another All-Star team but played just two more season after that.
Tomjanovich’s playing career ended having played 768 games in which he averaged 17.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Next: Number 3