Eh. Franz could be really good, but part of the thing with Stauskas was that he was massively underrated as a recruit. He had point-guard level handle and was an elite ball screen player even as a freshman. I don’t think Franz is going to be an on-ball player next year who can consistently create with an ISO or a ball screen. You probably need that skill to be as good as stauskas was as a wing
Franz is going to be really good. His 3-point shot will determine a lot, but he’s shown playmaking flashes already. He can do a lot of different things and there are so many areas where he can make gains.
Just getting stronger and slightly more athletic will be a huge step.
12 Likes
The weird thing with Franz is that he was billed as a knock-down shooter and hasn’t quite been that so far. As good as he has been, his shooting has been a bit off which is very surprising. I think a full season of college ball under his belt, a full offseason, and a full recovery from his wrist thing (if that could be cause for issue) will do him well. It’s possible the wrist thing threw him off a bit. Regardless, I expect his shooting to return to where it should be next year for sure.
Now that I have seen the team in person (other than Livers), I am more impressed by Franz and think he has a huge upside. And I will stand with my previous comment that he may never become a 35% plus 3 point shooter but that does not mean he will not be a star at Michigan.
I am also more convinced that Eli will play the point over DDJ, as he just simply makes better decisions with the ball. The up tempo that Coach Howard prefer is more tolerant of TOs but just think Eli adds that maturity, composure and shooting ability that would be big as the offense continues to transition. Especially now that Eli seems to doing better shooting off the bounce.
Last Castleton is less athletic than I expected. I would prefer a Davis 5th year if a choice had to be made. Plus that scholarship would only be 1 year not 2 which means Coach Howard can continued to load up on highly ranked prospects.
I’m going with limited predictions:
-We will get down to 13 scholarship players
-if Livers is here he’s playing 32 minutes/game if he’s physically able to
-Eli brooks will play at least 28 mpg
The only way those numbers are high in my mind is if we blow so many teams out that brooks and livers get to sit the final 16 minutes against teams
4 Likes
This surprises me. For a big he seemed to move pretty well the other night. I think with all of the weight they’re putting on him, and he looked quite a bit more broad than in the past, it might take a bit for him to get used to making it move how he wants.
Just sharing what I saw in person. Not only during the game but pregame and so forth. To my eye he just doe snot look like a fluid athlete.
Maybe its more about him thinking too much rather than playing care free?
I think that’s what it is. I believe he thinks too much instead of just playing. I think he has plenty of athleticism for a 6’11 kid. Just my thoughts.
6 Likes
Rivals did a top 100 regardless of class:
Christopher 21
Todd 29
Dickinson 78
Greg Brown 17
3 Likes
I know this is regardless of age, but I’ve been curious why Christopher isn’t a consensus top 5 player in rankings. 10 range seems low
My predictions. Feel free to destroy them:
PG: Brooks, Zeb
SG: Christopher, Bajema
SF: Franz, Todd/Bajema, Williams, Howard
PF: Johns, Todd
C: Castleton, Dickinson
-Livers’ potential as a 3andD wing makes him a solid draft option.
-DeJulius transfers for a clearer path to more minutes as a lead PG.
-Howard gets Castleton to stay pointing out he’ll likely be more advanced defensively than Dickinson (Also Sophomore Castleton is better than Sophomore Davis was.)
-Davis grad transfers.
-Bajema sticks it out for another summer of Camp Sanderson. Nunez seeks a clearer path to minutes. (Less sure of this one.)
If Livers is really gone, I have a hard time believing Todd wouldn’t start either at the 4 over Johns or at the 5 over Castleton
2 Likes
Maybe not day 1, but by end of December I feel like Todd would be a starter. Now imagine if Greg Brown were in the mix… one can dream
His shot would be my guess
That feels like more attrition than I would anticipate but all that anyone can do is speculate.
I have a hard time believing DDJ will transfer. He loves Michigan (to the point that when JB offered Brooks, he got a bit emotional because he thought an offer for him wasnt coming anymore).
2 Likes
Does it really feel certain that Hunter Dickinson would start at the five position next year? I’ve seen the clips of him playing H.S. ball, and he doesn’t seem to play very hard.
To me, it feels like a big leap to go from the effort I’ve seen him put out in the H.S. games, to the effort required to compete at the college level in the Big Ten. I remember John Beilein talking about the effort and time it physically took just to get Austin Davis and John Teske to the point where they could run well enough to play at this level.
Am I the only one that thinks it might be more likely for Colin Castleton (or Austin Davis) to be ready to start next year than Hunter Dickinson?
2 Likes
I think there as good a chance they call Small Ball ala Houston as either AD or HD start at the 5.
I think Isaiah Todd will play more minutes at the five next year than people think. And by “play the five” I mean guard the five
3 Likes
I feel like Hunter’s stamina may not be the greatest, but he’s played a ton of ball against top competition for a few years now. He’s coming in pretty college ready. No clue if he starts game 1, but I expect him to be the starter by B1G season. But I think his minutes are capped at around 20, which means we’ll see plenty of other options at the 5 (AD, BJJ, Todd).
Skilled 7’2 dudes are really nice to have and should translate well! Growing pains are certainly going to occur, though. Probably across the board.
3 Likes