With this whole roster speculation and minutes distribution conversation, it has occurred to me that despite having a bunch of good to really good players, we may not have any elite/alpha/game-changing players. I would like to hope that Franz could be that, but I am not convinced that we have that one guy that we can turn to when things get rough to just force the issue and take the team on his back. X, for all of his offensive shortcomings, could at least leverage most other teams’ defenses and either create for himself or find an open man. I dont see that yet with this roster. I can see any of Franz, Smith, Brown or Livers step up to this, but coming into the season, I am not convinced that any one of them will specifically do it.
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Has to be Smith or Franz. Fingers crossed.
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So when Brown and Wagner are on the floor together, sometimes Brown will play the 2 and Wagner the 3, sometimes it will be reversed?
More like Brown is the main sub at both the 2 and 3 positions. I guess there is 5 mins of overlap there if Franz time at the 2 is in conjunction with Livers time at the 3. So I guess you could toss 5 of Franz minutes at the 2 to the 3 if you’d like. It’s more a framework then a strict rule since Wagner/Franz/Livers are all wings and are somewhat interchangeable.
Also what @umhoops said below is another way to say it
The way I would look at it is Brooks, Wagner, Livers and Brown are basically capable of playing all 120 minutes at the 2-3-4 … then Brooks will play some at the one as well.
As far as who is the 2,3 or 4… I don’t think it particularly matters.
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Neither did Wisconsin last year and that seemed to work out okay for them.
An experienced, veteran team that has good chemistry can do some good things in college basketball. Lets hope that is Michigan this year.
Agree about the BJJ fan club. I hope he can get 20 minutes per game with out somebody getting injured or ill to get those minutes.
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I pretty much agree with this but Webber made #4 work.
Cause it was new and fresh then. Now it’s old and tired.
Count me as wanting to see Johns play 25 minutes a game at the 5.
Just doesn’t seem like Howard’s coaching style to go with a small ball lineup for that long.
I like this game. Here’s my current thought, assuming Brown is eligible:
1 - Smith (25), Brooks (15), Jackson (<5)
2 - Brooks (20), Wagner (10), Brown (10)
3 - Wagner (20), Brown (10), Livers (10)
4 - Livers (25), Brown (5), Johns (10), Williams (<5)
5 - Dickinson (15), Johns (10), Davis (15)
I’m higher on Smith than most and watching his games against Wake and Virginia makes me think he can be a decent B10 point guard. His defense will be a problem, but the alternative is to play too many people out of their natural positions.
I think Johns could end up playing most of his minutes at the 5 and I could definitely see him being the starter game one and getting 20mpg there. But I’m high on Dickinson and think by the end of the season he’s consistently closer to 20mpg like McGary was as a freshman.
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Would be great to save Brown for next year.
The lack of a proven creator has me thinking Johns at the 5 because of his ability to space the floor, really get out in transition, catch lobs, etc. would probably alleviate some of the pains of missing Zavier. Especially if other teams feel he’s a legit shooting threat and respect him on the 3-point line (still probably a TBD despite some good moments last year). I could see the floor very very spaced with Brooks Wagner and Smith handling the rock and Isaiah and Brandon as your ball-screeners.
On the other hand, you could say that the lack of a proven perimeter creator makes Dickinson more appealing because you can dump it into him and play around that.
Really both are exciting options and I think the ceiling is prolly higher with Johns but a higher floor with Dickinson. I think who closes games will probably mean a lot more than who starts them
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I’ll take a 20/20 split between Johns and Dickinson, matchup dependent of course
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I just don’t see the point in Wagner at the 2 - Brown is a big 2 there himself.
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I’d love to see us play more small ball with Johns at the 5 but my gut says (based on last year) that isn’t happening. If anything our questions at guard could lead juwan to playing more of a ‘big man’ lineup again with Franz, livers, Johns and a center on the floor together. And dare I say the possibility of a dickinson and Davis lineup occasionally could be a reality.
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As Dylan said…the distinction between 2/3/4 with Wagner, Brown, and Livers mostly irrelevant. But when I think of a 2, I think is someone who can initiate offense, handle the ball, and shoot. That’s not really Brown. Brown is more of a small-4 or big-3. He can play the 2, but not conventionally.
I think an interesting defensive lineup will be Brooks, Wagner, Brown, Livers, and Johns because they might switch 1-5.
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Agreed on brown
As for the Johns, I think he’s going to be too good not to see 25 a game and maybe more some nights. This teams balance and depth if Brown gets the ok is going to be something. Maybe there’s no alpha per say but you have to fear a roster that has 6 guys who could drop 15-20 on you any given night.
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