Maybe once izzo is gone. As long as he’s there, I’ll never root for any semblance of anything positive.
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I know all of the interest is on Christopher today, but I watched a bunch of Smith film this weekend. Columbia ran this play over and over to get Smith downhill to make plays. He’s also a much better passer than I would have thought. Not sure how well it will translate because he will have to pass over and around longer athletes, and he is obviously quite small.
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That’s great work. Insightful. Thought he made some tough finishes, but missed the roll man for some easier baskets. Not sure those finishes get through in the B1G.
I’d say he missed more guys spotting up outside the arc than roll men, if anything. I’d also say that given his teammates’ 3-point shooting abilities, I’m not sure I blame him, if you get what I’m saying.
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I get EXACTLY what you’re saying and I was thinking the same thing!
I’m not worried about Mike Smith’s height. If he can shoot and pass as well as Kihei Clark, he will be a huge addition to our team. Kihei Clark started as a true freshman point guard on UVA’s National Championship team, and this year he was their leader and best player as a sophomore. He was named to the third team All ACC. Believe it or not, they list him as 5’9” and I think he is probably shorter than that.
The one thing Kihei has over Mike Smith is that he plays tremendous defense on the other team’s quick point guards.
Here is Kihei’s profile: https://virginiasports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/kihei-clark/6747
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In addition, UVA really has only one other scorer on the team this year. They were aweful offensively so it wasn’t like they were leaving him wide open all the time. Mike Smith will have a lot more room to operate given the amount of scorers Michigan will have, especially if Christopher comes! Can you imagine Christopher having the ball in his hands, where he can try to score or pass it off to Livers, Wagner, Todd, or Smith?? Wow. I can’t wait.
You’ve got that right. Maybe he wasn’t missing them, maybe he was ignoring them. Sometimes you just have to do whatthe coach wants, if the coach want you to shoot; you need to shoot. My man seem to have no problem following that edict
Only 1 teammate of his shot over 34% from 3… You definitely are correct on this one.
There are similarities between Mike Smith and Kihei Clark. Besides height 5’11” and 5’9”, they both were expected to lead their team offensively this year because of the horrific shooting by the rest of the team. For UVA, Kihei shot and impressive 37.5% from 3point range, while the rest of the team shot a putrid 28.9% from 3 point land. At 5’9”, he led the team in assists (5.9/game) and 3 point shooting. He was second in pts per game at 10.2/game.
If Mike Smith stats/game are 1/2 of what Kihei did for UVA, that would still be a homerun, since he won’t be playing a full game.
Smith appears well upholstered for his diminutive size. But his average quickness and explosiveness are going to be severely challenged in the B1G.
Hard to imagine him making any significant impression at the rim with the big leap in competition.
Big challenges ahead defensively as well, imo.
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I, personally, think Smith could be effective for Michigan. Challenges lie ahead without a doubt but his scoring ability, success in the P&R, assist-to-turnover numbers, etc. all make me believe he has a real shot to succeed. I think this was an awesome get. Personally my expectation is 12-15 minutes a night, at least in the first half of the season, but my guess is as good as any.
Chezaroo,
I don’t think Smith needs to make any impact at the rim in order for him to be a huge contributor to Michigan. My analogy to Kihei Clark stands. He made zero impact at the rim (shot 37.5% from 2pts and 37.5% from 3pt range) and still made 3rd team all ACC honors and was arguably the best player on UVA’s team this year.
Clark is a lightning quick starting point guard in the ACC. Smith is a Big Ten backup with a great handle. Aside from the shooting, what’s so similar? Height? If that’s the measuring stick, I’d say Smith is more similar to Levance Fields from Jamie Dixon’s Pittsburgh. Man, I loved watching Fields dribble. I saw him as a freshman on the 2005-06 squad. They got upset by Bradley at the Palace.
Clark is a much better all around player and athlete than Mike Smith. And proven against high major competition.
I wouldn’t bet on Smith being a “huge contributor” at Michigan. This is a big jump.
The luxury of free wheeling and dominating the ball against lesser opponents is over.
I’d salivate to have Clark next year.
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Kihei Clark also … wasn’t that great last year? Size was a huge issue for him. He shot 38% on twos and turned the ball over a ton.
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Only a soph. Not a fifth year guy with limited athleticism from a poor league.
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I think we’re of the same opinion regarding Smith - great pick up for ballhandling and hopefully end of game scenarios - but expecting him to come in and play big minutes? Just don’t see it. He seems like he has heart, but I think his limitations make it hard to project him playing big minutes successfully.
In all honesty, if he plays more than 10 minutes a game and plays well and Michigan wins, I’ll happily eat crow pie all day. Just don’t see it.
Needed insurance policy against injury when options were very slim.
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That’s the funny part - i think the move is great after losing DeJulius. But it’s more for depth and if we’re ever facing heavy pressure. Crazy that our roster could be so dynamic that we’re literally shoring up all the slight deficient areas we may have.
Although if we don’t get Josh, this changes drastically.