Smith doesn’t strike me as high ceiling or a guy we want to play major minutes, but his existence will save us from ABSOLUTELY NEEDING minutes from Zeb as a true freshman (not that Zeb won’t be capable, but he may not). Smith as a “floor” for a third guard seems ok to me, with the potential that Cole/Zeb outclasses him for the spot.
Obviously if Christopher doesn’t come, a backcourt of Eli, Cole, Zeb strikes me as way too risky for a team that wants a tournament berth, and having Smith in the mix should hopefully stabilize things in such a case.
Since he was a one man team at Columbia his stats reflect his high usage. At Michigan his usage will be much lower. I would like to know what his stats might look like without taking bad, contested threes and end of shot clock drives because he was the only option. In other words, taking fewer, better shots may significantly increase his stats. Not that his stats are meaningless, but on such a bad team they may not reflect his true value to Michigan.
I see Smith as a big asset when teams try and press us. Brooks does not have the best handle and from highlights I have watched, Smith’s handle is better. Now his size does hurt in the trap situation, but I will take his speed and handle as a positive. I like the addition.
How much of his junior season did he miss with the torn meniscus? Is there a chance he could be granted an extra year of eligibility now that he’s out of the Ivy League?
Regardless of eligibility, I think he would be 25 years old by the end of a hypothetical redshirt senior season. He probably wants to get started on his pro career.
Love the pick-up and there are some interesting parallels to the Simmons beyond performance. We signed Simmons after losing a do-everything PG (Walton) when we weren’t sure what we had with Simpson/Brooks. All three played and had their moments. Smith gives us insurance from injury, a true ball-handling PG, and roster flexibility.
Dylan - is there anything you can share about the likelihood that transition costs would be lower with Juwan’s system than Beilein’s? (Which was notoriously tough on first-year PGs)
I like the idea of him being a spark off the bench. I’m a little worried about our ability to hit open jump shots based on the last 2-3 years and the make-up of the roster outside of Livers and hopefully Wagner. So if you bring Smith, Johns, Todd off the bench in an energy lineup I think you can exploit some match-ups and offer a change of pace…if you can survive defensively.
I am very happy we now have a solid backup PG that has played 4 YEARS, is known for his handle and FT shooting, and should be confident the minute he steps on Crisler hardwood, game or practice. Immediate upgrade over 2019-2020 Nunez, especially during end-of-game pressure (still hoping Nunez improves greatly under Howard, especially on D). His floor is reliable, and with less volume and others to relieve pressure, his ceiling may be a ‘next best fit’ for our team. GoBlue!
You hit the keys there - solid floor, solid open shooter, very good ball-handler at worst (for a team lacking them), and potential upside as a late-clock emergency.
After reading the article Dylan shared there is no doubt in my mind that Smith believes he can come in and start. If Christopher comes then I believe Eli will start next to Josh, as I think most of us do, but I think Mike Smith oozes confidence. It sounds like he has the Jimmy Butler work ethic, and, if there are those who don’t think he will/can start he will take that as a personal challenge just as he has always taken the “size” thing as a challenge. Having said that, I believe he will be an excellent teammate who will love playing for Juwan and who will put the team first. He sounds like a really smart, high character young man! I’m pretty excited with this addition.