Did any opponent ever stick a top defender on MAAR to try and shut him down like they did to Roninson?
It is what we all assumed but it was good to hear JB on the radio this morning say that DJ Wilson is now exclusively a wing. He will be working on his ball skills all summer and they intend to play him at both wing positions offensively. Hopefully he is finally ready to step up next year. Would provide some serious size and length on the defensive end if they can play him at the 4
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Didn’t hear JB’s comments today, but he said at the banquet that Wilson had been working his butt off at the four. I think it is a wise and, given our surplus of bigs and shortage of wings, a necessary move. I hope he can handle it.
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Here are JB’s comments
I am definitely excited about DJ playing more.
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DJ at the 4 could be a revelation, on defense, especially against taller lineups. While I think his handle needs to at least improve from ‘very bad,’ Glenn played the 4 without much of a handle. He was asked to rebound, play defense, shoot corner 3s, and make good cuts. I’d like to hope DJ can become adequate at enough of these things to be a serviceable 4 bench player. There’s just a lot of developing to do.
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Agree with all of this. DJ clearly has some desireable traits, but he has just been such an unknown given his limited playing time. That said, I am glad he firmly entrenched at the 4. Maybe now that he has found a permanent position home he can flourish. That would be a HUGE boost to a roster that sorely needs athleticism.
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“He actually can play both wings.”
Does that mean JB is planning to go big with Wilson at the 3, Wagner at the 4, and Donnal at the 5? 
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No, it means he can play on the left or right side of the floor 
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But I like the way you think. Maybe Teske can use his ball skills to run the point and David can man the 2. Once again JB shows his coaching chops by flipping the script and innovating with a supersized lineup.
Boo! That’s boring! haha
I need to say since I just miss Michigan bball too much I have watched some of the top games from the past 4 seasons and I really feel good about one thing next year that most wouldn’t be. That is the play of the bigs. While it isn’t a strong suit Mo will be an impact player coming off a strong finish and Donnal showed us he can have big games and improve. I am optimistic we can be atop the big ten as long as we find a backup for the 3/4
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We must start praying DJ can have a huge summer and be our guy.
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I am increasingly optimistic about next season and I had a high starting place. The improvement at the 4 and 5 will be the key.
I wish we could start dj at the 4. Our bench is going to be thin and to be able to bring Duncan in with Simpson and I’m assuming donnal would be ideal. I think if dj shows this summer that he can use his great size and length to rebound, starting him wouldn’t be out of the picture. It’s a big if but he has the tools to do it. We saw first hand what happens when the starters play too many minutes, we don’t need that again.
As several people here have suggested over time, the requirements for an effective four are fairly minimal. A GREAT player at the four could lift this team to serious heights. But I believe that DJ has some of the pre-requisites to at least adequately fill the bill. What do you more knowledgeable hoopheads think?
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What we need from DJ is the ability to defend the position and rebound. I think he has enough mobility to keep most big fours from getting around him and the length to keep them from shooting over him. We don’t need him to be a big scoring threat, especially from the three point line. Any scoring would be a bonus. He should be decent at back door cuts and ally-oops. If he could be effective at all that for 20 plus minutes, it would free up Zak to play more at the guard positions and not get worn down from guarding big fours.
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. . .where I thought the evidence was pointing, and why I think we might be alright with him there.
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All you need to do is watch the Purdue game and you’ll see he made some great defensive plays. He can hit 3s as we have seen, I think his shot selection needs to be better is all. I’m pretty excited he’ll be playing the position he’s actually used to playing.
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Agree. You could tell he didn’t want to be a 5. Now, as Beilein says, you are who you can guard.