The thing is he won’t have to take bad shots at the next level and Beilein won’t allow it. His job won’t be to score 15-20ppg.
He’s going to learn how to perfect PnR play, penetrate off of it and/or take the floater/J or kick it out to Johns/Poole/Brooks etc… He’s perfect for that type of game. He’ll hit the occasional 3, and is talented enough to hold his own.
A players shot tendencies/height/reach/stature at the PG spot going from HS/AAU to college are completely overblown, especially in a system like Beilein’s. It’s why Burke was an AA, Spike was a featured player at times & when Walton was healthy could have been the best PG in the B1G. DeJulius will be fine. To me he’s a top 85-95 kid. Just MO.
I’m more worried about what he will look like on the defensive side of the floor. Will he be dominated by bigger guards AND get punked by more athletic guards his size? Or, will he benefit from our excellent S+C, hold his own against big guards and be able to handle Evans (OK ST) caliber athletes ala Derrick Walton. While he may not quite be undersized at his position, most players his size usually have a touch more athleticism at the high D-1 level–so it gives me some pause on the defensive side. Hopefully he won’t need to play too much right away with Simpson in year 3 and presumably putting his game together.
I, too, worry less about his shot selection going forward than how effective will be his learning and running PnR. A certain level of aggressiveness is necessary at his position, as long as he also gets his teammate involved. He will have time to sharpen his craft, both Poole and Brooks are able to share duty at 1.
One thing to keep in mind is that he doesn’t need to be ready right away. There are plenty of other options in front of him including Brooks, Poole, and Simpson at the 1 and 2. I’ve been impressed with his film, although I’ve never watched a complete game.
The more I’m thinking about it, the roster for years down the line is shaping up to be really really nice on the wings. Poole, Matthews, Livers, Johns, (insert one of Tyson, Hunter or Ignas) is quite a versatile group on the wings. The biggest question marks in my mind are the PG and C spots. I like X and DeJulius on paper a lot, but can one of them solidify themselves as a potential all big ten guy to take this team to an even higher level? Brooks is another wild card to me as well. And whenever Moe decides to make the jump, I’m personally not super high on any of Davis, Teske, Currie. But in general I think the staff is on their way to assembling a collection of wings that could mirror up to the Stauskas, Levert, Robinson, Hardaway days. From the film I’ve seen, DeJulius could be the guy to take us over the top.
If anyone wants to go watch Michigan commit David Dejulius, here is his schedule for this season. Also, East English is probably the 2nd most talented team in Michigan. At worst top 5 overal in the state. Got at least 3 or 4 other kids, maybe more that will play d1 or d2 basketball after high school. I’ll post Brandon johns schedule as well in case people want to go check him or Dave out in Michigan this year.
I couldn’t agree more, wolverheel, and he does it by design. He is a master of taking great kids who can play some basketball and molding them together to do great things. And even in those years where, for whatever reason, the team isn’t as good as we would like it to be, it is still filled with GREAT kids who will go on to represent the University of Michigan with class and who will be successful in whatever they ultimately do in life.
Rashad Phillips is one of the best small PG ever to play in college basketball. He really knows basketball and recognize greatness. When he speak about certain players, I listen because more times than not, he’s right.
I’m excited to see DeJulius in a UM uniform. I think it will take a heck of a lot for him to unseat Simpson &/or Brooks in ‘18-19, but if he does I would think that would bode VERY well for Michigan.
I had a pleasure of meeting Rashad in person and he is super nice and welcoming. I tried to soak up as much knowledge as possible during our meeting. IMG has got a good one in him as a basketball trainer.