Key stats and trends that illustrate Michigan's identity under Juwan Howard

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Those defensive stats are pretty much the ideal stats for the type of shots you want to allow.

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That’s correct. Just three games, but very encouraging.

Yep it’s early but x and ocoaching returns have been very encouraging. Main two questions I have left on Howard are, what level of talent will he be consistently able to get and will he understand how to build a college roster in the right composition.

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This is terrific, and obviously very encouraging. Would it be correct to observe that Juwan’s philosophy dovetailed pretty nicely with John’s, helping to make the transition fairly smooth?

I think the better way to put it would be that they have different plans and philosophies that end up emphasizing some of the same things. I’d also add that we could see things start to deviate further as Juwan Howard introduces his players, etc. too.

Thanks for the insight Dylan! I’d categorize all these trends as “good” or at worst “neutral.” Post-ups tend to be less efficient of course but most (myself included) seemed to think a non-negligible increase in post touches was warranted after last season–if nothing else but to punish switches done low when there’s a mismatch.

Have there been any trends that you’d consider more worrying? Small sample and early season caveats of course apply.

Been a non-negligible uptick in turnovers on offense and defensive rebounding. Could still be a small sample size thing with both, though.

Livers’ boarding at the 4 this year (small sample size) hasn’t been the same as Iggy’s boarding at the 4 last year

This is wonderful, showing the difference between what the game looks like in real time ( at least to me) and what the larger, fuller picture looks like. Also sets a framework for things to watch for going forward. I appreciate how this type of information helps with being an active spectator mentally.

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What I like about the zone look on BLOBs is that we’re less likely to give up an easy shot directly off the inbounds pass. Teams generally have some great quick hitting inbounds plays against man, but not so much against zone. I’m not crazy about zone once the possession is underway, but I think I’m good with the trade-off.

Yeah, Michigan actually struggled in the first game giving up a few looks out of BLOBs, so that probably explains the shift. Gibson outlined some of that in the defensive film room.

Yes, it’s important to remember that we’ll see two different tests of Juwan Howard’s coaching ability: first, how he does with Beilein’s recruits, then how he does with his own. The heavy reliance on the P&R could be him displaying a preference, or it could be him leveraging the strengths of his best, most experienced players.

Certainly getting the most out of the players on the roster must be one of the hallmarks of a successful NBA assistant coach; it’s not as if the assistants have much control over who is on the roster…

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If anyone on campus sees Franz minus the cast on his wrist,please let the rest of us know. Thanks.

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Very approachable guy (he said without any concrete knowledge whatsoever). If you see him ASK HIM when he’s going to be playing.

Another great interview with Martelli. They clearly are coaching defense with analytics in mind trying to force mid range shots.

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All of Tekse’s shots from 3 point range or from 15 feet are all flat. He doesn’t bend his knees or get arc under the ball. His shots are always missing short, seldom long.

Yep, which becomes an even greater problem as the 3 point line is moved back. I’m not sure how reliable a 3 point shooter he will be this year with the added fatigue from the faster pace. It will just add to him shooting it short and flat. But he just needs to hit the occasional 3 to keep defenses honest.