I think Walton,Levert, and Irvin will be the new big 3 and everyone else will fall in place. Dawkins with fill the wing scorer off the bench that Irvin filled so well and Doyle will give us a little more than Horford did offensive with a bit of regression on the glass. MAAR will fit the Caris freshman defender off the bench role.
Walton, Jr. 13 PPG, 5 APG, 5 RPG
Looking for extended 3 point range, PnR playmaking, hunting for own offense and above average on-ball defense
LeVert 17 PPG, 3 APG, 5 RPG
Looking for consistent middle game, PnR playmaking, strength and off-ball offense
Irvin 15 PPG, 3 RPG
Looking for off the dribble shooting, attacking close outs and slashing, off-ball offense (curls, backdoors, transition 3s) and improved lateral quickness/ foot speed
Chatman 8 PPG, 2 APG, 5 RPG
Looking for rebounding, facilitating (transition and hitting cutters), off-ball offense and perimeter shooting
Donnal 10 PPG, 4 RPG
Looking for catch and shoot, pick and pop, screen setting and post defense
Spike Albrecht, DJ Wilson and 1 of Dawkins/MAAR/Doyle/Max to fill out the rotation.
Wow, some high expectations for Donnal on this board.
Well like I said, I think he is stepping into a perfect opportunity to make an immediate impact, and although my expectations are admittedly high, I think there's a good chance he produces at a level similar to my prediction, albeit perhaps 1 or 2 less points and rebound.
Webb - I see you’re in the glass half full camp. I think it’s overly optimistic to expect those kind of scoring numbers, especially with respect to Walton, Irvin and Chatman. That would put us at 82ppg, WITHOUT accounting for any bench production. I think those numbers are a bit of a reach considering we play at a slow pace.
matt- Very true. For a comparison, Our top 6 scorers last year averaged 67.6, and that was generously improved by me giving them the benefit of the doubt and using McGary’s 9.5 PPG instead of Morgan’s. No way we get 82 PPG from 6 players, even with improved Irvin, Walton, and LeVert.
Wow, some high expectations for Donnal on this board.
So far 9.6ppg, 6rpg in this crowd-sourcing experiment. Very similar to Jordan Morgan’s redshirt-freshman season (9.2 and 6.5 in 24mpg).
I guess I’m just surprised considering that I think he’ll split time with Bielfeldt, possibly Doyle and DJ.
I agree with Wolverheel though, I think Donnal is in a great position with a vacuum at the 5. With this P&R-heavy offense and a SO Walton, I think if Donnal can capitalize as the roll man as a RS Frosh Morgan did with Darius Morris, I think he’ll be in good shape. I would just take caution in investing too much in the unknown quantity that is Donnal.
Along those lines, I wouldn’t count out Doyle contributing significantly this year. He has worked hard to add a lot of muscle this offseason, and will come in in significantly better shape than our other freshman bigs of years past. I also think he has a pretty mature game for a kid his age, and I don’t think Beilein will be able to keep that kind of size on the bench with our lack of depth (and experience) at the 5. Just a thought…
Wow, some high expectations for Donnal on this board.
So far 9.6ppg, 6rpg in this crowd-sourcing experiment. Very similar to Jordan Morgan’s redshirt-freshman season (9.2 and 6.5 in 24mpg).
I guess I’m just surprised considering that I think he’ll split time with Bielfeldt, possibly Doyle and DJ.
I agree with Wolverheel though, I think Donnal is in a great position with a vacuum at the 5. With this P&R-heavy offense and a SO Walton, I think if Donnal can capitalize as the roll man as a RS Frosh Morgan did with Darius Morris, I think he’ll be in good shape. I would just take caution in investing too much in the unknown quantity that is Donnal.
Along those lines, I wouldn’t count out Doyle contributing significantly this year. He has worked hard to add a lot of muscle this offseason, and will come in in significantly better shape than our other freshman bigs of years past. I also think he has a pretty mature game for a kid his age, and I don’t think Beilein will be able to keep that kind of size on the bench with our lack of depth (and experience) at the 5. Just a thought…
Yeah; I wasn’t commenting one way or another, just providing data. (Though I did kinda agree with you in my head.) This production prediction is a tough one. Hard to predict any of the new players and how much improvement with the returning players. But I’ll give it a crack when I can wrap my head around it a little more.
Donnal can pop, not just roll, and I don't see more than 1 of Max/DJ/Doyle getting major minutes.
Depending on your definition of major minutes. None of them will start, Max and Doyle will back-up Donnal at 5, with Max having more minutes at the beginning and Doyle having his minutes up gradually, probably averaging 15 minutes between the two over the season. DJ will back up Chatman at 4, and could averaging anywhere between 5-15 minutes.
Donnal can pop, not just roll, and I don't see more than 1 of Max/DJ/Doyle getting major minutes.
Depending on your definition of major minutes. None of them will start, Max and Doyle will back-up Donnal at 5, with Max having more minutes at the beginning and Doyle having his minutes up gradually, probably averaging 15 minutes between the two over the season. DJ will back up Chatman at 4, and could averaging anywhere between 5-15 minutes.
I’m not so sure why you think Doyle will play. I see a Donnal/Wilson/Max frontcourt rotation. I will believe Doyle can play at game speed when I see it.
Also with Spike as the 3rd guard, I see MAAR sitting and Dawkins backing up Irvin and Chatman.
Donnal can pop, not just roll, and I don't see more than 1 of Max/DJ/Doyle getting major minutes.
Depending on your definition of major minutes. None of them will start, Max and Doyle will back-up Donnal at 5, with Max having more minutes at the beginning and Doyle having his minutes up gradually, probably averaging 15 minutes between the two over the season. DJ will back up Chatman at 4, and could averaging anywhere between 5-15 minutes.
I’m not so sure why you think Doyle will play. I see a Donnal/Wilson/Max frontcourt rotation. I will believe Doyle can play at game speed when I see it.
Also with Spike as the 3rd guard, I see MAAR sitting and Dawkins backing up Irvin and Chatman.
A 8-9 man rotation like usual.
I do see DJ getting some minutes at the 5, but he is super skinny and has more of an outside-in game. Doyle is the beefiest 5 we have, has a decently well-developed post game, and much more fit to bang in B1G play against the likes of Egwu and +/- Dawson. Like you said though, Doyle is unproven at this level especially with regards to speed, but I don’t think Beilein can afford to keep a big on the bench with that size and strength when we are so thin (both literally and figuratively) at the 5. I would imagine seeing more of Doyle as we transition into B1G play, especially when Max inevitably gets into foul trouble.
The battle at the 2/3 should be an interesting one. Do we all expect at least one incoming guard to redshirt?
I’m not so sure why you think Doyle will play. I see a Donnal/Wilson/Max frontcourt rotation. I will believe Doyle can play at game speed when I see it.
Also with Spike as the 3rd guard, I see MAAR sitting and Dawkins backing up Irvin and Chatman.
A 8-9 man rotation like usual.
Ideally, Doyle reshirts, but so should DJ. Btw the 2, Doyle is physically more ready. Although I can see Wilson playing 5 in college if he grows another inch or 2, his natural position is 4 and he does not come to Michigan to play 5.
Depends on what you mean by physically. Wilson is 6’9’’, same size as Doyle, with a 7’2’’ wingspan, an inch from Doyle’s. A far superior athlete and has held his own against the likes of Ivan Rabb. He is also known for his shot blocking, something Doyle is not. I think weight and strength is overrated in this regard. No one would take Roy Hibbert over Anthony Davis. And Bacari and JB has said DJ will play 3,4,5. He has no set position. Dawkins makes more sense as the 3rd 4 (behind Kam and DJ), if Max/DJ are logging minutes at the 5. Dawkins is also more athletically ready than Doyle. Max is also a solid rebounder and post defender who is at least proven, but he could be leapfrogged as the 3rd guy and Doyle gets 5-10 mpg.