The most important addition to next year’s Wolverine squad comes from the transfer portal, where Howard will try to fill his starting point guard spot for the second straight season. His size/length and smooth-looking lefty stroke are assets in the backcourt, but it’s highly likely he’s been recruited over, and we see his name in the portal next year (note: wild speculation). ![]() In limited minutes against Big Ten competition last year, Jackson posted a 55.3 o-rating (that’s bad), was 0/7 from 3P range, and notched a 36.6% TO rate. Jackson is a combo guard out of Montverde, a place where he actually came off the pine despite being a highly regarded recruit. Williams should be in the running for a starting spot, either at the 3 or 4 he’s a physical forward who hustles hard and can play in the post or on the wing. Former 4-stars Terrance Williams and Zeb Jackson both have the pedigree and talent to carve out rotation spots, but the incoming class will be fiercely on their tail. Michigan’s remaining key returners have their work cut out for them to see consistent playing time next season. His mobility and versatility pairs nicely with Dickinson in the frontcourt, and if he can continue to develop his outside shot (career 27/77 35.1%), Johns could be a serious weapon in his senior season. Johns stepped in for Isaiah Livers when he went down late in the year and performed admirably in a starting role. If Howard’s new point guards struggle to start the season, he can turn to Brooks to steady the sea.īrandon Johns is the only other player on the roster who saw significant minutes in 2020-21. Brooks will bring veteran leadership to an otherwise brand-new backcourt, as well as stifling perimeter defense and knockdown shooting. He’s on the shortlist to capture Big Ten Player of the Year hardware in 2022.Ī more under-the-radar returner is combo-guard Eli Brooks, a key player who gives his team just about everything on the floor. Michigan will play through Dickinson this season, posting him on the block and using him as the primary screener in pick-n-rolls. He is much stronger than he looks and uses his body and feet extremely well to position himself in the paint. Dickinson shot 74.2% near the rim last season, per Hoop-Math, and scored 1.034 PPP on post-ups, good for the 86th percentile in the land, per Synergy. Though his goofy short, choppy running stride with his arms nearly straight down at his side may lead one to overlook Dickinson’s effectiveness, those who watched the big man work (and played against him) realized he was the real deal. Hunter Dickinson, last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, blew away expectations on his way to becoming one of the ten best players in the country in 2020-21. ![]() There are a lot of new faces joining the Wolverines this year, but their most important piece returns. Limiting rim attempts and 3-point attempts is a good way to be a dominant defensive squad. Per Hoop-Math the Wolverines allowed the 11th fewest shot attempts near the rim and, per KenPom, Michigan ranked 28th in the country in 3PA rate allowed. Defensively Michigan was impossible to score against in the paint. Excellent shooting and legitimate NBA talent helped make the Wolverine attack nearly unstoppable. Offensively the Wolverines played through 2nd Team All-American Hunter Dickinson on the block and ran a ton of ball screens for their talented ball handlers. Michigan was elite on both sides of the basketball last season, ranking 9th in the country in adj. Howard has established himself as one of the top coaches in the country and there’s every indication his early success will continue into year three. A 3rd place KenPom finish is the highest ever in the site’s history (1997), and Howard led Michigan to an Elite Eight despite missing one of his best players for the entire Tournament. Last season was Michigan’s first appearance as a 1-seed since Howard played for the Wolverines back in 1993. But Howard has also proven to be an excellent developer of talent and x’s and o’s coach. It helps Howard has been a monster on the recruiting trail, bringing in the #1 class in the country this season. If we asked Michigan fans if they’d trade John Beilein for Juwan Howard today, my guess would be the vast majority would say “no thank you” – that was emphatically not the case two years ago. ![]() Outlook: Michigan’s hiring of Juwan Howard has been a smashing success, so much so that other programs around the country are trying to follow the formula of “hire former player” in an effort to replicate that success. Editor’s Note: This preview was written before Memphis roped in two 5-stars and overtook Michigan for the #1 recruiting class.
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