I could see Iggy becoming the primary 4 option but it’s a “I need to see it first” kind of thing considering we already have a returning option in Livers.
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He better bring some D to go with that O if you think he’s going to be the primary 4. Livers has a head start and even if he’s not at Iggys level offensively I feel like he still has enough chops on O and D to grab that spot.
That’s basically what I said
I think on paper O is a much more major concern than D next season. Simpson and Livers were both offensive non-factors for extended periods of last year and the team returns the top 2 defenders from KenPom’s 3rd best defense in the country plus what should be a defensive upgrade in replacing Moe with Teske.
Also from February on, Duncan was playing 30 minutes a game at the 4, even after Livers had at one point taken his spot. I thought Duncan was much improved defensively last year but it’s not hard to see Iggy as a better scorer instantly and a comparable defender to Duncan.
Much bigger questions for next year’s projected starters include:
- can anyone reliably make an open three besides Poole?
- can anyone shoulder the shot creation burden now that the two primary options (MAAR and Moe) are gone?
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Coach Beilein told Sam on podcast “We’re going to be more equipped to play big” which was extremely interesting to me. Then credited Livers and Johns ability to play “both ways” as opposed to Duncan Robinson as a reason why M will be more equipped to play big. What the hell does this mean?!?!?! I’m guessing it means he may be comfortable playing Matthews at the 2, but I’m really not sure.
Any thoughts on this?
It occurs at 20:15 mark of podcast
Yeah I listened to the podcast shortly after it aired. He was just talking about how his forward combo of Johns and Livers are much better defenders/rebounders than Duncan.
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I get that but why does that allow M to play “big”. Is he inferring Johns or Livers can guard 3’s so he can play them together and move Matthews to the 2? Or is he calculating Iggy at the 2. Maybe it means he is thinking of a backcourt Poole and Matthews with Livers, Johns, and Teske?
I can see Livers and Johns versatility allowing M to play small but Coach Beilein put the flip on that.
I really like Nunez but for the most part have written him off as a guy who won’t find minutes as a freshman.
I’m rethinking my position on this. Maybe he will find a role as a floor spacer on offense. If he’s the best shooter on the team, he could find a spot in the rotation.
Really looking forward to Euro trip.
Poole, Matthews, Iggy, Johns, Livers, that would be a heck of line-up, small and big at the same time, depending on how you look at it.
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Maybe he means that Livers and Johns are capable of playing 3,4,5, which gives us the ability to have 3 guys on the floor that are capable of playing 5 and that translates into a very big and strong potential lineup.
When Poole takes a break for 8-10 minutes a game, who is going to be the floor spacer? Who else can score from deep with a 6’4” guy in his face?
I am not sure who our top 3 point shooters will be. I don’t know if I am wrong but I group Iggy with Mathews and z as so-so 3 point shooters. I lump Johns, Livers and DD together as good 3 point shooters. I lump Poole and Nunez together as potentially great 3 point shooters.
Just my hunch but I was wondering what others thought. Am I underestimating Iggy? Overestimating John’s?
Yea I didn’t get that comment either. They have several guys who can play the 2-3 spot behind the starters that would be ahead of Nunez.
People are counting our Brooks way too early
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This seems pretty simple to me. Last year, Michigan was playing a 6-8 shooting guard at the four for most of the season. This year, Beilein is saying that they’ll be playing Livers/Johns there. Both guys are much more of a true perimeter four than Robinson, who wasn’t at all.
Playing Teske with either Johns or Livers is a ‘big’ lineup. He also talked about playing small I believe, which you could say would be a Livers/Johns 4/5 or 5/4 combo.
One other thing is that Moe at the five was always kind of playing ‘small’ because of how he played. He was a perimeter five who stretched the opposing defenses. Teske at the five will not do that in the same way, but that opens up some other things.
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Primarily it means that instead of playing a guy in the mold of Duncan Robinson at the 4, they can regularly play a guy with girth at the 4.
And can play bigger at the 3 spot as well if desired.
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Without listening to the interview again, I thought Coach mentioned that next year’s team’s ability to play big would be similar to when DJ was playing the four.
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Exactly, he means that Livers/Johns are not guards playing the four (like Duncan Robinson was last year).
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None of you guys are talking much about defense. Remember JB says if you can’t guard your man you are going to sit. We seen that last year.
I never saw Beilein having a top defense either.