UM's Chaundee Brown, Mike Smith find landing spots after going undrafted

Michigan’s Chaundee Brown and Mike Smith didn’t hear their names called on draft night.

But it didn’t take long for the two Wolverines to find a landing spot with the past two NBA champions as undrafted free agents.

Brown signed an Exhibit-10 deal with the Los Angeles Lakers and Smith accepted a Summer League invite from the Milwaukee Bucks.

“Let’s work. This is all I needed,” Brown tweeted after the signing.

Brown and Smith both adjusted to different roles and were instrumental to the Wolverines’ success during their one year in Ann Arbor. Brown, a 6-foot-5 guard, went from being a three-year starter at Wake Forest to a super sixth man at Michigan, while Smith, a 5-11 point guard, transformed from a scoring dynamo in the Ivy League to one of the top facilitators in the Big Ten.

Brown averaged eight points and 3.1 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range, both career-best marks, and playing tenacious defense. He also came up big during Michigan’s NCAA Tournament run to the Elite Eight, most notably scoring 21 points in the second-round win over LSU.

As a full-time starter, Smith averaged nine points, shot a career-best 41.8% from 3-point range and led the Big Ten with 5.3 assists per game. He also ranked fourth in the conference with a 2.5 assist-turnover ratio (149 assists, 59 turnovers).

Both will have an opportunity to earn a roster spot in the Summer League, with Smith getting a shot to show he can run a team and Brown getting a chance to show he can be a prototypical 3-and-D player.

Michigan’s two other draft entrants — wing Franz Wagner and forward Isaiah Livers — were selected on Thursday night. The Orlando Magic grabbed Wagner with the No. 8 overall pick and Livers was taken by the Detroit Pistons in the second round, marking the fourth time since 2013 multiple Wolverines were selected in the same draft.

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @jamesbhawkins