Not as high on Mike Smith as some others here.
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Brooks would play more than Smith. Also don’t see us getting both Cs only 5 minutes. If we were to play a true C for 10 mins a game only one of them will play.
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I think some on this board are going to be pleasantly surprised with Hunter Dickinson. He should have been a 5-star, one publication did select him to 2nd-team All-American. The kid can play!
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Eli Brooks is a lock to be playing more than 20 minutes a game
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Here’s mine:
Eli (20) / Smith (15) / Zeb (5)
JC (30) / Eli (5) / Bajema (5)
Franz (30) / Livers (10)
Livers (20) / Todd (10) / BJJ (10)
Dickinson (15) / Todd (10) / BJJ (10) / Davis (5)
JC, Franz, Livers - 30 minutes
Brooks - 25 minutes
Todd, BJJ - 20 minutes
Dickinson, Smith - 15 minutes
Zeb, Bajema, Davis - 5 minutes
That’s around an 8/9 man rotation when healthy, with Zeb, Cole, and Austin coming in when necessary. I feel the urge to have Zeb playing more minutes, since I think it would a turnoff for anyone to go two years in a row without meaningful minutes. Also not sure that’s good for development.
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It’s fun to find minutes for everyone but I don’t see any scenario where Livers-Franz-Eli aren’t playing as many minutes as possible aside from a quick breather each half. Zavier played 34 a game the last two years and those 6 minutes trying to play without him were the longest of my day every time
Finding 5 minutes for Zeb here and there and making Todd happy with his role and actually using Custard don’t seem nearly as appealing when your starters are playing well but you’re still down 5 on the road in the big ten.
This seems very reasonable. That’s a lot of talent to find enough minutes for.
I foresee ~5 min for 3 guard lineups. This group of guards has the size to make that work more often than last season.
This is interesting. Jace did comment “bet On yourself then double down brodie.”
If we have 3 spots open I’d be very interested in what Michigan does with that final spot if Michigan lands Christopher and Mike Smith or another PG/CG. And no, Greg Brown is not going to be the one filling that spot.
Yes, the constant overreacting to social media is…something.
4 Likes
You do have a legitimate point for Livers and Franz. Eli as well if Smith doesn’t come. Perhaps you can add 2-3 minutes to Livers’ and Franz’s MPG and subtract a couple from Todd and BJJ, to where their minutes double the latter duo. Or you could give Eli some more minutes by subtracting from Zeb and Cole.
With that said Zavier is a completely different story. He was THE guy that ran our offense, and it was a lot harder to take him off the court for that reason. There also wasn’t really any viable option off the bench other than second year DDJ, who had to also come in for Eli at the 2 occasionally as well.
How many minutes did Davis play a game down the stretch this year?
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That’s definitely true re: Zavier. That being said, with a different roster our offense will have a much more balanced distribution of who has to make decisions on offense. No one player gets to the level of Zavier, but each guy’s responsibility goes up considerably
His minutes were pretty consistent down the stretch compared to early on in Big Ten play.
15/20 of the B1G games he played 10+ minutes. It feels weird to only slot 5 MPG for him for that reason, especially after losing Teske and Castleton. So on second thought, I’d probably predict 10+ MPG for him.
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Davis was playing too many minutes down the stretch. He has a nice post game, but is a liability on defense and a black hole offensively when he got the ball because he can’t pass. I like him - good kid, great teammate, but I really hope this year Juwan utilizes more small ball 5 lineups with Todd and Johns, which would mean fewer minutes for AD.
6 Likes
An interesting name for people to follow that isn’t a transfer but still immediately eligible would be Kyree Walker. Still on the board and would likely be good enough to play right away if Livers leaves. Can play the 1-3 spots. He was a rumored Michigan target under Beilein and then Juwan early on.
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Watching just highlights it seemed like he lost his handle a lot and has zero elevation/explosion at the rim. I really don’t think he’s gonna be great at a higher level. Probably just a dude who can break a press and be okay for 10-15 minutes.
Yeah, I would agree mostly. I was only predicting 10+ minutes because, of course, Juwan is the coach, and I don’t see any scenario where Teske and CC leave and Davis doesn’t get 10+ minutes.
With that being said, I’m not sure the alternative options at center are better if you play Davis less. We don’t know what Hunter will look like defensively, but we do know he has slow feet. And BJJ and Todd aren’t the best fits defensively for the 5 either; they can guard the PnR fine I’m sure, but paint defense would be an issue. For that reason, I think a 3 or 4 man rotation at center based on matchups would be ideal, and to keep everyone fresh.
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Hope you are right. But from what I’ve seen, he needs a lot of work.
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I remember a reply he made on Instagram awhile ago that sounded like he was losing his passion for basketball and wasn’t sure if he was going to play anymore. Not sure if he was joking or not, but it was definitely worded as a serious comment.
I do know he’s close friends with JC, but that’s besides the point.
From a positional standpoint he’d be a adequate Livers replacement and would fit the “positionless” mold. He’s a 6’5 power guard/wing with plus vision and playmaking but needs to improve his jumper. He didn’t play high school ball this year though. Academics were definitely not the issue.