Michigan landed their third commitment of the 2024 cycle today when 4-star wing Khani Rooths committed to Michigan. Juwan Howard dipped back into his IMG top-50 pipeline (Moussa Diabate + Jett Howard) to secure a major talent that brings some recruiting momentum back to Ann Arbor. 

Rooths chose Michigan over fellow-finalists Georgia and Florida State after releasing a final three on November 2nd. All signs pointed toward Georgia until Khani's official visit to Ann Arbor last weekend completely turned the tide in favor of the Wolverines. 

 

GURU RANKINGS

Rivals	ESPN	24/7	On3
4*, #33 Ovr	4*, #23 Ovr, #4 PF	4*, #29 Ovr, #7 PF	4*, #19 Ovr, #10 SF

All of the services agree that Rooths is a 4-star prospect that sits in a tight range between 19-33 overall. Three of the four services have Khani at 6'8, while Rivals goes 6'7. The weight is near universal at 195-200 pounds. 

 

SCOUTING

Versatility and upside are the first words that come to mind when evaluating Khani. Physically, there's good positional size at 6'8 with solid length. He's not necessarily twitchy/explosive, particularly in terms of acceleration/deceleration, but Rooths is rangy and an above-average run + jump athlete. Once he adds some additional muscle mass/strength, Rooths has the makings of a good functional athlete, particularly on the defensive end. 

In terms of skill, Michigan is getting a three level scorer at 6'8 with some ability to make plays for others. While I wouldn't label Khani as a knockdown shooter at this stage of development, he is a solid/above-average perimeter shotmaker given his shot diet. He connects on his fair share of pull-ups from both midrange and distance, while being a solid floorspacing wing that can be a popper in ballscreen action. With an above-average handle for his size, Rooths is also capable of creating his own shot off the bounce and getting two feet in the paint for finishes at the rim, while flashing some passing/playmaking chops. While he's not a high-volume post-up type by any means, Khani does show some comfort as an occasional back-to-the-basket option that can score. In a nutshell, we're looking at a prospect that does many things above-average, but not elite in any one facet. Having the ability to operate from nearly any spot on the court with reasonable effectiveness really bodes well for lineup compatibility. 

 

On3 is enamored with the upside based on the physical tools/frame and echoes my versatility take:

Khani Rooths has a great frame and great length with real positional size (measured 6-foot-8, or so). The ball skills are developing; however, he is getting more confident with the ball in his hands. His mid-post/mid-range game is getting more dangerous. He will knock down some spot threes, and he can get downhill off the bounce. Defensively, Rooths is really intriguing. He can slide his feet with guards at the point of attack, disrupt the passing lanes, and he has the length and size to switch down to guard forwards. As you project Rooths forward, the archetype and physical tools are clear. There is an upward trajectory that he has continued to take over the past 12 or so months.

Rob Cassidy at Rivals likes the athletic facets, ability to create off the bounce and switchable defense: 

The 6-foot-7 forward is an aesthetic shot-maker that continues to add muscle and refine his ball-handling ability. He’s not polished as a long-range shooter just yet, but the four-star prospect was a menace in transition and off-dribble in Baltimore. Defenders have a hard time staying in front of the explosive Rooths, who has become a reliable finisher and mid-range threat. Rooths has nice bounce and routinely plays above the rim. He also impacts games as a switchable defender when he’s engaged on that end of the floor.

After seeing him at Team USA minicamp in October, 247's Brandon Jenkins came away impressed with the motor and slashing ability while noting the need for more consistency:

Top-30 senior Khani Rooths played as hard as we have seen him play during his high school career. A combination forward with ideal positional size, an athletic frame, and an evolving skillset on the perimeter, Rooths asserted himself as a difference-maker on both ends of the floor.

He flew to the backboards with a sense of urgency to pin shot attempts, sprinted the floor with a purpose, and was an aggressive slasher to the basket.

Rooths has a history of showing flashes of how valuable he can be at either forward spot. While he may not be ready to consistently dominate right now, he proved he is capable of having a positive influence on a game with his motor. Once he figures out how to find his own offense groove on a consistent basis, his best basketball will be a sight people will pay a significant amount of money to see down the road.

[After THE JUMP: film + projection]

OFFERS

Indiana, Maryland, Miami, Georgia, Florida State, Xavier, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Georgetown and several others. 

HIGH SCHOOL

IMG Academy (FL) is one of the premier HS programs in the country with a long lineage of 5-star prospects on an annual basis. 

VIDEO

2023 Adidas Session I Highlights from InsideTheU: 

2023 Summer Highlights from UMHoops:

 

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

A player of Khani's recruiting pedigree is likely to earn a rotational spot as a freshman, though I wouldn't necessarily expect it to be a significant role. With at least two of the Williams/Tschetter/Khayat trio likely to return in 2024, there's a bit of a logjam at the SF/PF position in terms of experienced contributors. And that doesn't even consider the pending addition of Lee Aailya and the potential for him to play the PF spot at times. 

The most likely freshman projection sees Rooths get around 8-12 minutes per game as a backup wing. He'll likely do most of his damage in transition, with the occasional face-up drive + finish and C+S three in half-court scenarios. Defensively, he'll flash some POA prowess and switchability while also getting bullied at times due to the sheer lack of size/muscle. As is the case with all freshman, you can expect some issues with off-ball defense in terms of chasing/screen navigation/rotations. 

Year two is where we can expect a real leap. With a year of skill development + Camp Sanderson under the belt, Khani is likely to enter the starting lineup and be an impact player that sees 25mpg. Rooths is probably best used in a jack-of-all-trades role where he exploits mismatches with his versatile skillset. Much of that depends on the opposition. As a face-up option, he can absolutely create space off the bounce versus more traditional bigs of the B10, while also serving as a floorspacing wing. Against smaller defenders, Khani can operate via post-ups or bully-ball straight line drives from the elbow area. I'd expect some ballscreen opportunities, but the volume is likely to be on the small side. Rooths isn't likely to be the primary option in half-court settings, but he probably gets sizeable usage as a secondary type. 

Defensively, Khani has potential to be a real difference-maker as a sophomore. The combination of size/length/ranginess is very intriguing as Michigan appears to be heading toward a more aggressive approach to defense (think more switches and showing at screen level vs ballscreens) with the departure of Hunter Dickinson. And assuming that to be true, Rooths is a guy that can viably switch 2-4, and perhaps all 5 positions in limited situations. That's a ton of utility which allows for a plethora of lineup combinations. 

So let's address it now. Khani is a guy with some NBA potential. He has legit NBA size for a wing, though it's not something that pops-out given his current skillset. Rooths profiles more as a PF for NBA purposes given he's not a deadeye shooter and he's not particularly gifted in terms of acceleration/deceleration, and that does limit his stock to a certain extent since he's 6'8ish rather than 6'10. I do think that his NBA draft stock is somewhat dependent on production, particularly his shooting prowess from distance. It's unlikely an NBA franchise views him as a shot-creator, prominent POA defender or rim-protector at the league level. So his archetype is pretty simple: 3+D wing that doesn't get played off the floor defensively while connecting on 35+ from three. 

With all that said, the range of outcomes for Khani after year two are functionally unlimited, particularly in the portal era. With the expansion of two-way contracts now available to each team (3), getting a first-round projection is completely irrelevant. Guys are happy get 500k for a few years while getting access to NBA coaching/skill development without having to worry about schoolwork. 

In a nutshell, the worst-case scenario is Khani bolts after year 2, via the NBA draft or the portal. The best-case scenario sees him stay for his junior campaign, where he absolutely has the potential to be an all-conference level player given his size/skill/versatility. 

 

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

I'm not going to continue pretending this section is still relevant in the portal era. All we can confidently say is that Michigan appears to be done recruiting HS prospects for the early-signing period.

Beyond that, nobody knows right now. There will be a plethora of transfer options once April hits, and what the coaching staff does largely depends on whether there is internal attrition and for what particular positions.