Who becomes a contributor by the end of season for basketball?
Michigan is currently rolling with three bench players right now: Livers, Brooks and Davis. Coach Beliein is known for developing talent, but it takes time for guys to learn his offense. Who do you see currently getting little to no playing time that will make an impact off the bench by the end of the year? Dejulius, Johns, Castleton, Nunez, or walk-ons/former managers?
I suspect Johns will be that guy. I have no expertise in this, but he seemed to be the most ready of the bunch. He's 6'8. He could score, rebound and defend in HS. He appears to be a prime candidate to help this team later down the road.
Thoughts?
November 29th, 2018 at 1:12 PM ^
Davis looked lost out there last night. Pick AND ROLL.
November 29th, 2018 at 1:20 PM ^
All Davis has to do is eat some minutes and hold the fort while Teske gets a breather. He is not going to be an all world player out there, but if he can steal a few minutes and play hard that is all you need from him.
November 29th, 2018 at 1:29 PM ^
I agree with a lot of what's been said here. Before the season we speculated that it would be DDJ, Nunez, or even Johns because they'd need shooting. While our shooting is still iffy, I think it is clear that they won't play spot-up shooters who can't play defense and they value flexibility in the rotation too.
My list right now is this:
- Johns - I think Davis' hold on his 8th spot in the rotation is tenuous. Against big teams and on nights with a tight whistle he's going to play and do his part fine. But having Livers 2.0 in Johns gives them more options and helps mitigate the nights when they need to play small and/or those whistles are going nuts. I also think he can fill a similar "glue-guy" role to what Livers did last year for a few minutes per game.
- DDJ - This is less likely, partially because Simpson is going to play a ton of minutes and Brooks has looked pretty solid. But I do think Beilein wants to get DDJ more minutes and still probably thinks of Brooks as more of a combo guard than a true point. But DDJ has a huge learning curve and two guys ahead of him, so I'm not sure it is going to happen.
The other guys probably are bench warmers only. Neither have looked good in garbage time yet and their roles are blocked by a lot of other people ahead of them. That's fine - at this rate there could be plenty of garbage time for them to learn from.
November 29th, 2018 at 1:35 PM ^
IMO it's all about the health of the players.
The 7+ (Davis playing significant minutes only in some games) lineup seems remarkably set for an early-season Beilein team. They have enough positional flexibility to mix and match lineups using the core 7, and Davis works well against some opponents.
It's a long season though, and there's bound to be some boo-boos along the way. Seems like Johns and DeJulius are the most ready, though significantly behind the top 8.
Best case would probably be some opportunities for those two to get meaningful minutes during the season, with the core 7+ ready to roll come tournament time.
November 29th, 2018 at 3:50 PM ^
I want it to be Johns. He just looks the part from a size perspective. I was in Connecticut for the games and he just looked like someone lacking confidence. Maybe it is confusion still trying to learn the system, but he looked like he is struggling mentally and maybe overthinking/analyzing everything and afraid to make mistakes. Just my observation, I could be wrong. As great as the start of the season has been, imagine how much easier these games would have gone if they could only shoot their free throws. 11-23 from the foul line compared to 11-22 from 3 point range last night.
November 29th, 2018 at 4:15 PM ^
I don't disagree that Johns is probably more ready but I would pick DeJulius just because I think the need for a backup good ball handler is greater. We already have plenty of frontcourt depth and I am not convinced that Brooks can effectively run the show against better or more high pressure teams.
November 29th, 2018 at 5:07 PM ^
It would have almost been perfect had Ibi Watson stayed. The bench will need one more person to step up.
November 29th, 2018 at 5:17 PM ^
Johns does appear to be the logical candidate if he can process everything that's being thrown at him. Asking a lot for him to be able to play both the 4 and small ball 5 -- just look at Livers last year. I think he works hard and is available but isn't needed much. Mostly garbage time minutes.
DeJulius hasn't played much but to my eyes he definitely doesn't look ready. I'm guessing he gets garbage time when possible but nothing of consequence.
Castleton needs muscle. Nunez needs time. Neither sees any relevant time.
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November 29th, 2018 at 5:55 PM ^
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November 29th, 2018 at 6:50 PM ^
hopefully, dejulius improves enough the next couple months, especially on D, in order to provide a few minutes, if needed.
davis can definitely provide minutes now, if needed, depending on the opponent.
November 29th, 2018 at 10:54 PM ^
Eli Brooks is quietly turning into a consistent scorer. I think he is due for a break out. As far as the freshman, it’s hard to say. I could see Castleton getting some time if we need a 5 and are in foul trouble. Johns is probably the most likely to get playing time at the 4 or 5. We are pretty set at the 4 this year with Iggy and Livers, so Johns will really have to earn his minutes. I’d be surprised if DeJulius breaks into the lineup given how well Simpson and Brooks are playing.
November 29th, 2018 at 11:11 PM ^
As many have noted, you win with a 7 or 8 man rotation...preferably 8 in case of injury. It's pretty much end of story...for a lot of reasons...pragmatic reasons...it's defined by our human limitations...we're not perfect.
Look at all the "swing" players Beilein is recruiting...there's a reason.