Yeah, I think he will work better as a 4 next to either Teske or Livers at the 5.
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So I know Davis was hurtā¦but with Liversā emergence, I canāt imagine we see much more of Davis this year
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I agree. I always have thought he should be a four, and I KNEW Isaiah could handle the duties as a small ball five!
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Yeah, we talk a lot about a logjam at wing but what if one of Iggy, Matthews or Livers gets injured? We will want Johns to step in.
On the other hand, if one of Teske and Livers gets hurt Johnās will not move in because he is, to my eyes, a lot worse of a center than Davis at this point.
Training Johnās to play 5 is a total waste of time and resources.
That seven man rotation is SO versatile! They literally handled everything Providence threw at them, presses, zones, man. There are so many weapons and ways they can beat a team.
The only problem I saw in this game was keeping Providence off the offensive boards, but hell when we canāt even box out without the zeebs calling a foul, what are you gonna do?!? 
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Two game point totals for rotation guys: Matthews 30, Poole 26, Iggy 25, Simpson 20, Livers 19 Teske 17 and Brooks 9. Pretty good balance.
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I made a last second decision to drive down from Boston to the game. After the game, John Beilein stops before he exits the tunnel, looks at the Michigan crowd surrounding the area and shouts āBeat Ohio State!ā
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I would never question Coach B, but yes, I agree. I would also like to see him play more with the starters, too, rather than with other bench players who are clearly not ready yet. I was hoping weād see him in for Iggy after Iggyās third foul to play with Livers (5), Mathews (3), X and Poole.
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When Johns just plays, he absolutely looks the part on the floor. Thatās few and far between because Beilein wants them to run the offense. But heās grabbing 2-4 rebounds every game and thatās in only 2-4 minutes of PT. We could definitely use his rebounding in BIG play I think. And he looked great bringing the ball up the floor and dishing it before that was wrongfully called a travel on whoever finished that layup. Heās got the skill and physically can play right now. He just needs to get more comfortable in the offense and defense. Iād like Johns to get some reps at the 3, 4 or 5 spots. I think heād be the best 5 ideally for Michigan to potentially run āsmall ballā because heās 6ā9 and skilled/mobile enough to play on the perimeter. This would allow a ton of positional flexibility at the 1-4 spots for us. Or if he learns the 4 thatās acceptable too, if heās in there alongside Livers. I just think Johns would be a great rebounder in a small ball lineup.
I will say that Iām losing patience with Dejulius. Not in general, but I just think he has too much of a āget mineā mentality right now rather than running the offense as the PG. I lose more and more hope he will contribute this year, which at this point Iām ok with because I am beginning to think we donāt need him as much. Brooks worries me though when he gets pressured. His vision, handles and decision making arenāt great. Heās better as a shooter and passer on the wing. Hopefully Poole can adequately fill in some at the 1 at times this year if Dejulius or Brooks donāt seem up to handling pressure from defenses. I do think Dejulius will be really good though once Zavier leaves. Quick, physical guard who can score. Just needs to get better operating the offense.
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I was thinking the same thing. Give him some minutes at the 4 with the starters.
It has to be tough on a freshman trying to learn Beileinās system and a different position.
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I also will add that I think Providence is very good. They are long and physical as hell, and are pretty young. Diallo, Reeves and Duke are studs in the backcourt and are freshman/sophomores I think. Come March they will be a problem. I wouldnāt be shocked if Providence wins the Big East.
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Disagree. Johns is going to play some 5 the entirety of his time at M. Anything that gets him on the court and gets him comfortable is worthwhile.
Providence has 6-7 four stars on the roster. Theyāre a talented team.
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Even as a strategy to get him on the court it does not make senseā he is our 4th option at center.
5th option at center if you consider that CC is always playing center in garbage time. So he is the 4th option at center during a competitive game and the 2nd option at center during garbage.
They were not a bad team. A lot of really good athletes, I think. This win might look alright down the road.
At the moment, Michigan is the #1 defense on kenpom.
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And itās only going to get better as pre-season gets more and more phased out.
He was third option today and gives M a lot of versatility. The plan since heās been on campus is to use Johns as small ball 5 as well as 4 position. I donāt understand any thinking that considers playing where heās going to play in the future is a waste. Maybe I am missing something
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Very balanced scoring.
