40 + 25-30 = 65-70
Both are limited players.
There are three guys on the roster capable of playing PG. Jackson is probably the furthest from playing. Smith and Brooks are going to play a ton of minutes because there just aren’t other ball handlers on the roster.
This seems to be a controversial take for some reason but I can’t really figure out why.
3 Likes
Controversial because many are skeptical of Brooks at PG.
I was under the impression it was controversial because of Smith.
If you are worried about Brooks as a PG, that would actually mean more minutes for Smith + Brooks, not less minutes.
1 Like
Let me first stipulate that I think Brooks will and should play over 30 mins a game, because he is just steady in all phases he’s been asked to do.
I am more skeptical of his ability to shoulder the bulk of the team’s shot creation duties than I am Smith, and I think moreover Brooks is a more effective offensive player if we do not ask him to do so (ie, he can stay in his catch-and-shoot role).
2 Likes
I was speaking in general, not necessarily my thoughts on the subject. Having said that, Eli is not a natural pg. being a senior I think he will be fine, but I’m more confident in Smith creating for others than I am Brooks. You opined many times what a perfect fit Josh Christopher would be
Yeah, I’m confused now too. I thought I was defending Smith playing 25-30mpg at PG and keeping Eli in a more limited PG role and more of a SG. But now it seems like that’s consensus. 
Brooks is not a PG. He might play there out of necessity, but it brings the team’s ceiling down dramatically.
This is why I like Mike Smith in the starting lineup. And why Smith and Brooks will play a ton of minutes.
5 Likes
Crazy that people don’t think Senior Eli Brooks can facilitate an offense - especially when Freshman Eli Brooks was playing over Soph Zavier because he was running the offense better according to Coach Beilein (of course, we all know that Zavier figured it out and became a one man wrecking crew). I see plenty of situations where Eli initiates an offense and we’re fine (especially because the one thing he was lacking as a Freshman when he ran the point - confidence shooting - shouldn’t be a major concern). Simply put, Eli is a smart player…he’ll never be X with the ball in his hands, but this will be a completely different offense next year no matter who is running the point. I expect Eli to be able to get Michigan in their sets, but the offense will run through Wagner, Livers, and possibly Brown.
I can see Smith getting time at the position, especially with a second unit that will need another guy who can create (think PNR). But still wouldn’t be surprised if Eli starts, with a 2,3,4 of Brown, Wagner, Livers (interchangeable depending on matchups, etc.) and a 5 of Dickinson/Johns. Feel like that will be our best lineup.
Caveat being…if a team wants to press us, I think we needs Smith in the game…Eli is much too loose with the ball.
9 Likes
Eli can no doubt run an offense. I don’t doubt that Freshman Eli was an apparent leader ahead of Sophomore Zavier Simpson at doing just that, especially when the offense consisted of MAAR, Charles Matthews, Duncan and Moe. There’s a couple other guys capable of creating their own shot or making catch and shoot shots at an elite level there.
However, it’s not a coincidence that the team took off with Zavier Simpson asserting himself as the better option there. And the question with Brooks at PG is not “can he run the offense” it is “can he create shots for himself and others”. To this point, I would say he has not proven himself capable of that, which is why it is critical that Smith and/or Zeb become that this season. Unless Wagner, Livers and Johns/Dickinson/Davis prove themselves to be shot creators at the level of MAAR/Matthews/Wagner, but Franz is the only one in that equation that I believe is a realistic possibility.
2 Likes
Another way to think about this season is to compare it position by position from last year. I’ve seen that done with football and it is an interesting way to think about the ceiling of the team and risks. Obviously it isn’t perfect because a team is rarely the sum of its parts and it doesn’t account for opponents, etc. But what else do we have to talk about?
- Smith << Simpson
- 2020 Brooks > 2019 Brooks
- 2020 Wagner > 2019 Wagner
- 2020 Livers > 2019 Livers
- Jackson << DDJ
- Brown >>> Nunez
- 2020 Davis = 2019 Davis
- 2020 Johns > 2019 Johns / Castleton
- Dickinson << Teske
- Williams = Bajema
i.e. can incremental improvement from everyone who returns offset the step back at PG and C? I think we can paper over the center spot with Johns long enough for Dickinson to come up to speed and be functional. So if Smith is a league-average PG we might have something here.
Putting it like that bears out that in order for the team to be a conference contender, Franz is the X factor. He’s likely the only player that can make more than an incremental jump.
1 Like
I agree. And I am optimistic for Franz making the leap…but we could also see us get lit up around the rim without Teske or have PGs constantly blowing by Smith. Those three things will decide our season.
The only other wildcard might be Dickinson. If he matures like McGary, suddenly he unlocks some things for this team.
What is the McGary/Dickinson parallel? They are very different players.
3 Likes
The parallel isn’t in their style of play - it is in the ability for a big to develop fast enough to contribute as a freshman. Most bigs struggle as freshmen with conditioning, defense, foul trouble, being over-powered or abused by veteran opponents, etc. McGary didn’t play 20 minutes in a game until the fourteenth game of his career and didn’t break 21 minutes until the twenty-second game.
Most big guys barely play as freshmen (Teske, Wagner, Wilson) and some redshirt (Morgan, Davis). If Dickinson isn’t physically ready to be more than a #3 center this year that’s going to be rough. If he can get to the point by mid-season where he can handle 20mpg then we should be in good shape.
1 Like
Is this really true? Just this year Cockburn and Trayce were game-changers as freshmen.
I do think there are some real reasons why Dickinson could have a hard time adjusting (stamina, agility, conditioning, defense) but I don’t really see it as a similarity to Mitch, or just because he’s a young big.
2 Likes
Fair enough - though I think both of those guys are a different type of athlete than Hunter is. I looked up Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan - both contributed in a solid way as freshmen. Thus encouraging.
Closer to home though, Robert Traylor struggled to play more than 20mpg as a 5-star freshman. Marcus Bingham barely played. Even Xavier Tillman only played 9mpg as a freshman.
Definitely different players but the two similarities I do see are passing/court vision and ability to hit the face up. Also both lefties? Mitch is definitely more agile though and could put it on the floor a bit.
Still wish Mitch had stayed in hoops. Loved that kids game.
2 Likes
Listening to Nik Stauskas’s interview on the Michigan Basketball Insider Podcast with Sam Webb and Tim McCormick really paints the picture of how big of a “what if” McGary’s sophomore season could have been. Stauskas said McGary was their best player by far going into that 2013-14 season until he had his back injury. In their workouts/pickup games he was in the best shape of his life, grabbing rebounds and leading the break, hitting 3s and seeing the whole floor with his passing ability. That team was a shot away from the Final Four without him. With a healthy McGary, they had potential to make back to back title games. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
7 Likes