That’s a decent comparison in terms of ability to score, but I think Wilson has better natural court vision and is a better passer. Bluiett came to college with shooting only on his mind. Wilson looks more balanced from what I’ve seen.
My Jalen Wilson comparison has always been Justin Jackson, both athletically and play style.
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I would say, barring any more attrition or addition, whether the starting group consists of Livers at the three and Johns at the four or Livers at the four and Wilson at the three will be hammered out in practice early on and, perhaps, continue through the year. In any case I think we’ll have a nice three man rotation at the three/four.
My biggest concern, of course, is at the two guard position. I like Eli as a combo who can play either the one or the two depending on need and circumstances as part of a three man rotation with X and a solid two guard. Of course, we all know what the problem with that is, hence the pressing need for a solid two, from wherever we might get him. We need either a player we already have to suddenly be more ready that we thought, or a good grad transfer who can pick things up quickly.
Since this is the Jalen Wilson thread, I can see him getting 20-25 minutes a game, with Brandon Johns also commanding 20-25 minutes, and Isaiah getting over 30 minutes a game and as many as 35. Of course, again, this is assuming no more attrition and no more addition. If we gain or lose another wing player besides Iggy all bets are off.
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That was my thought. I thought it would be
Z
Eli
Livers
Johns
Teske
More people picking Wilson than I thought.
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Livers, Johns, and Teske could all play the 5. Having 3 5s in a starting lineup I don’t think is something Beilein would even consider. Just my thoughts though Incould be wrong obviously.
COULD all play the 5 does not mean should play or is their ideal position. Johns and Livers both might be more 4s but would definitely put them more as wings than 5s ideally. Although the thought of that much length on the court would be CRAZY
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Not seeing Johns as a starter next year unless he makes major strides.
I’d rather not see Johns play the 5 ever again. I’d rather see Michigan commit to him at the 4 and I hope his summer work is with that in mind. Castleton’s continued progress would mean that Livers can spend much more time at the 3/4, aside from some certain matchups. Livers can slide down when Wilson’s in the game, or–heavens forbid–they can give a guy a blow next year and not play everyone 38 minutes vs. Cleveland State.
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My point was more to illustrate that since they could all be 5s, there would be very minimal ball-handling ability having all three of them on at once. The length would be crazy though for sure.
I agree. First of all, I think Castleton is going to be as good as we have had at the 5 at Michigan recently (I know that is a big statement). Kid has all the tools and is staying all summer with Sanderson. He will be a beast next year. Johns is clearly a 4 and he needs to improve but he has the skills. It will be a big disappointment if he can’t see meaningful minutes next year. I do think Wilson will start at the 3 if Livers is starting at the 4. I also believe it is just a matter of time before Franz is starting at the 2. If Johns can start at the 4 then I could see Livers and Wilson/Franz starting. Brooks will get the nod to start but will he keep it.
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Think that Wilson starts at the 3 bc of ability or needed skill set that he brings to the table?
Based on latest film his build looks most BIG ready. But my take is it is he or Cole at the 3 come season opener unless we land someone else which seems unlikely at this point.
I think both. I always felt it was easier to start at the 3 vs the 2 in the JB offense but with Simpson, it might not make a difference as the ball handling will be handled by Simpson.
I think that’s what everyone is predicting who believes that he starts. None of us think johns of last year is a nice starter. It wouldn’t be pretty. I think he’s more aau johns than Frosh johns. We shall see but that skill set would be sweet if so.
It seems logical that Teske will play close to 30mpg. And it seems logical that Livers/Johns/Wilson will handle the strong majority of minutes on the wing, who starts and who technically comes off the bench is a little inconsequential.
But in terms of ballhandling, I don’t see the a huge issue with Livers-Johns-Teske sharing the court. Livers has enough ball handling and good enough shooting range to act as a traditional “3” wing. Johns showed enough handle in HS that he might not be a strength, but shouldn’t be a liability. Teske can pass well enough to help press break vs zone and handle ok enough vs other centers to help press break vs man. Especially since Simpson will be ball-dominant in press break situations.
I agree johns looked like a nice passer, shooter, and handle for his size.
Really, it comes down to whether Livers can play the three (in terms of guarding), and then who is a better threat on offense, Johns or Wilson?
I think the minutes breakdown at those two positions will be as follows: Livers (20 at the four, 10 at the three), Wilson (20 at the three), Bajema (10 at the three), and Johns (20 at the four). If we get Franz, of course, this all gets reconfigured.
Yeah, we did a poor job of integrating DDJ and Johns into the lineup this year. They needed to see way more minutes in the non-conference, especially against bad teams.
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Just curious, under the current roster configuration why do you see Bajema at the 3-wing? Seems like he’s a 2-guard/3-wing swing player. With Michigan’s lack of established options at the 2-guard seems like if Bajema cracks the rotation next season, he’d have a better chance of breaking in at the 2-guard?
I know I go back to this all the time, but Coach has consistently held young players back on seeing the floor until they are ready to bust down the door. It took us a long time to see Moe get consistent minutes his freshman season. There were a lot of DNPs for him during the conference slate that year.
I’m sure I was among the masses who really wanted to see more of the freshmen last year, but Beilein has been consistent about not just doling out minutes and seeing what the kids do with them. If the players weren’t seeing the floor, it’s because they weren’t consistent enough in practice, which was disappointing given the massive need for depth at different positions at different times throughout last season.
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