MBBall Transfer News: Michigan reaching out to Georgia PG Sahvir Wheeler
He's a 5'10 180lbs lefty who is averaging 14.0pts, 3.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. The article notes 4.4 turnovers per game as a big negative. Seems like he's hearing from a lot of big time schools including Kentucky, Kansas, Gonzaga, etc.
Also has 3 years of eligibility left
Between Pickett, Young, Wheeler and Jones it's apparent the staff is looking for a transfer PG. And for good reason, as PG is clearly our biggest question mark right now that could hold next year's team back.
I would also love it if Michigan can get a backup center (maybe a senior taking a covid year who wouldn't count against the scholarship limits?). I think Diabate is awesome, but he will most likely be backing up both the 4 and 5 spots. That's a lot to learn as a freshman. A serviceable backup center will allow Diabate time to get up to speed and also give Dickinson a breather when needed.
Seems like the obvious approach. It's weird that some here have said we'd be fine splitting time between a true freshman PG and Eli (who really isn't a PG). That doesn't seem like a F4 team. And Zeb, if he's a starting-caliber player at all -- and that's an if -- clearly looks more like a 2.
Johns is a serviceable backup center too. When you recruit elite kids you have to be comfortable with some level of growing pains and learning on the job. A number of the top Kentucky and Duke teams have had some growing pains before peaking at the end of the year. Diabate is a top 10 kid with a good chance to go top 10 in the NBA draft. He isn't coming here to play 5-10 minutes as he gets eased in and if you do that you'll stop getting top 10 guys. PG is the spot where have 3 year players Zeb and Collins and don't have that immediate impact 20 minutes a game guy. Its the obvious place to find a transfer.
If Diabete can't adjust to backing up both positions then Johns can play the 4 and 5. There's no way Johns and Diabete only divide minutes at the 4, with Williams also in the mix. I'm worried about the center position for 2022-23, not next season.
Diabete is higher ranked than any recruit we've had since Steve Fisher was the coach. I expect a lot from him during his only season in AA.
Of the 10 top 50 players Michigan has had since 2003, only one (Ignas Brazdeikis) left after 1 year. Five of them (Dion Harris, Zak Irvin, Deshawn Sims, Courtney Sims and Derrick Walton) stayed all four years. While it is certainly a real possibility that Diabete will leave after 1 year, I don’t think it is a given.
There's a massive difference between a kid ranked 40th and one ranked 10th. There's probably a bigger gap in perceived ceiling and draft value between 40th and 10th than there is between 40th and 150th.
If we were arguing about Caleb Houston (who is ranked #6), your point would be more persuasive. Diabate is rated at 18. Most draft projections for 2022 have Houston going in the top 15. That seems pretty much no brainer territory to go. There is much more variance for Diabate with some projecting him at the tail end of the top 20 and others projecting him late in the second round. If a summer with Sanders bulks him up and/or he develops a more reliable outside shot, I could see him in the first half of the first round. If that happens, I think we will all be very happy Wolverine fans no matter what he decides.
I’d imagine in final rankings the variance decreases for Diabate. He is firmly a top 15 prospect and should benefit a lot from having hunter draw a lot of attention next year.
Doing a little math, there aren't going to be 50 one and dones each year. What's the point of talking about top 50 recruits?
The players you named were never projected to leave after one season. Diabete most certainly is. Is it a 100% chance? No, not quite, but he's a first round pick based on size and physical ability alone. He could sit out next season and would still be drafted.
Transfer covid seniors count against the scholarship limit.
IF we needed one we would have kept Austin Davis. No better backup than him.
How do you know the decision to go elsewhere wasn't entirely made by Davis?
Davis himself said as much:
"I'm at a point in my life where it's time to move on to other things," Davis said. "I've been able to have a great five years here at the university and I've been able to do a lot of incredible things, have a lot of incredible experiences with some tremendous people.
"I just think it's time to move on."
Exactly. I didn't include the quote because it may have been him not trying to badmouth the staff for not inviting him back for another year and making it appear as though it was only his decision. In any event, there's no evidence that the staff decided to not try to bring him back and look elsewhere instead.
It is hard to imagine a circumstance in which Davis wanted to come back that they would have said no. Because of the covid year, he doesn’t impact scholarship limits. Given the amount of money the basketball team brings in, I can’t imagine the athletic department quibbling about the money. From what we have seen, he also likely would have been a positive influence on the team even if he got less time.
Agreed. But with the talent coming in, he could probably see his potential minutes going down even more. Don't blame him for looking for a spot where he can get more minutes.
April 26th, 2021 at 11:48 PM ^
Howard said he was welcome to come back. But there were no minutes promised. Davis played great this year and still got very limited minutes down the stretch because of his defensive liabilities. Next year was going to be even less.
He probably either wants to get on with his life or transfer somewhere that he gets minutes. Coming back for a 6th year to only get 8-10 minutes a game probably wasn't the best option for him.
Definitely looks like the coaches are concerned about the PG spot, which is a little troubling just because of Collins, Brooks, and Jackson already being on the team and available, but I can see them at least kicking the tires on guys. The playmaking mindset is there but he's a 23% 3 point shooter on decent attempts (79), and that's going to be a problem.
I'm not sure why this should be viewed as "troubling."
Brooks is more of a combo guard.
Jackson showed a few flashes here and there...but we still don't know what he can and can't do.
Collins has yet to step foot on campus. He certainly appears to have great potential...but, based on where he's ranked...he's not a can't-miss prospect...and freshman PGs typically can't be depended on for immediate production.
As currently situated, the team has the look of a top-ten team. A veteran, proven PG would definitely put us in the pre-season top five...or higher.
I guess "troubling" isn't the right word but it is telling that even with Brooks coming back they do seem to be looking for a steady hand running the offense, and given that they ostensibly have 3 options already on the roster. That doesn't mean Jackson, Collins, and Brooks can't run the offense successfully but they've now reached out to 2 players who, you assume, are viewed as heavy contributors to that role.
This might just be excessive concern on my part, but I think Mike Smith working out at PG is more the exception than the rule and relying on the transfer portal for a hit isn't a given.
We have taken two grad transfer point guards in the last 4 years, Jarron Simmons and Mike Smith. Obviously both worked out well, just in very different ways.
Simmoms provided insurance when we had a great team but uncertainty at the point. Turns out Simpson was ready to play point and we went 33-8, making it to the NCAA championship game.
Yeah, I don't see it as "troubling" so much as an insurance policy.
Brooks isn't a true PG, so any minutes he gets at the 1 beyond spot duty are kind of a worst case scenario. Not that this "worst case" is horrible by any means, but I don't think we're a Final Four team with Brooks as the primary PG, and JH clearly has high asperations for next year.
Obviously I think JH's hope is that Zeb makes the leap and/or Collins comes in ready to play, such that one of them seizes the PG spot and runs with it. But given the question marks surrounding the spot (Zeb has yet to put it all together, and Collins isn't even on campus yet), it's only smart to have a backup plan, if for no other reason than raising the team's floor.
Collins still hasn't gotten to AA, and non 5 star freshmen PG are rarely that good. Brooks isn't a PG. And Zeb barely played last year, didn't look great when he did, and his recruiting profile has him as a SG barely inside the top 100.
It'd be weirder to me if the coaches did feel good about that mix at PG.
I for one, thought Zeb looked pretty good the last few games. Am enthused by it.
He hit 2 3's in 8 minutes against Texas Southern, the 2nd worst team we played all year and his only 2 3's of the year. Besides that the only game down the stretch he played was 8 minutes vs MSU because Brooks was hurt, and he went scoreless.
To each their own, but there's not much there to get excited about IMO.
I disagree, he's got great positional size and athleticism and showed the ability to get into the lane. I don't want him playing 30 minutes a game but he's a great example of kid who could blow up as a junior and senior. The skill set is obviously there.
I was actually impressed with a few things in Zeb's game last season. The clear caveat here is he obviously wasnt ready yet but there were some signs of a high ceiling.
The first one I saw is that guys had a hard time staying in front of him. Zeb's athleticism is what I would best describe as smooth. He seemed to have the ability to glide around defenders and traffic. In his minutes last season he seemed able to consistently find decent looks that he just wasn't able to hit. While he did miss most of his shot attempts his form looked both solid and repeatable.
Still seems like a 4 year player but one who really has a chance to be a scorer at some point in his career. I personally think he is a guy that will be able to go out and get his own baskets. A scoring guard off the bench is something we could really use this season and it is a role I could see Zeb making the most of. Production and usage similar to a sophmore David DeJulius would not at all surprise me.
Aside from hitting a couple 3s, I think he did next to nothing, especially as a playmaker.
Again, I may just be overreacting a bit. But when Smith left I sort of assumed that was because the staff was comfortable with their options at the point and now it appears they are jumping back into the market.
I don't think this submarines the year or anything, but it's another variable this team will likely have to deal with.
I think it's pretty clear that Smith left because he wanted to leave, not because the staff didn't want him back. Once he left the rumors of going after transfer PGs immediately started.
Keep preaching the PG point Bambi, and I'll keep filling the offering plate. It's clearl we are PG away from title contending. I hope it's Jones.
Michigan very much wanted Smith back. He went pro on his own accord. But like others have said, besides Frankie who is a true freshman, we would have been depending on SGs for heavy on ball duty. That’s not ideal. Eli is great as a secondary PG option 10mins/gm but he makes his biggest contributions off ball as well. Zeb seems very similar to Eli in this way. An experienced true PG might be the missing piece again.
Zeb is a 2 guard now. Though he came in as PG nothing about his game screams PG anymore. In a pinch he could be a combo. Him and Bufkin will battle out for minutes at the 2 behind Brooks.
A PG transfer is a necessity because of the above.
April 27th, 2021 at 12:07 AM ^
Michigan would have been foolish not to ask him to return. Best PG okay since...senior DWalt? Maybe X’s junior season but that’s a close one
No. 8 point guard in the 2019 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
I think most people forgot Eli started over Simpson the first half of his freshman year at PG. Also he looked much better then than Jackson looked last year. If there were two Elis we would be fine in our backcourt but since we dont we might as well find the best Mike Smith 2.0 out there.
Sounds like we might want to kick the tires on this guy.
I don't know it'll be Michigan but I'm sure he'll be some program's Sahvir.
But can he play DT?
Can we retire this joke now?
Wondering why we can't find a taller PG amongst all the PG transfers available? The height of our starting guards was a clear liability throughout the year.
I love that Beilein and now Howard have returned Michigan to the national conversation, so a highly regarded would naturally include UM in the mix.
I don't see this as being a particularly good fit-certainly not relative to Jones. I appreciate his quickness and aggressive style but you cannot shoot 23% from deep as a PG at this level of play.