Last week we covered the existing offers in the primer series for 2021 with Guards, Wings and Bigs. Yesterday my Wish List series kicked things off with the Guards. Today, we’ll take a peek at some Wing prospects that I’d like to see the staff pursue moving forward.

As with yesterday’s, the wish list is based on a combination of Michigan’s needs (playmakers off the bounce), Juwan’s preferred physical profile (size and/or good athlete) and my evaluation/projection.

As a refresher, here is my general blueprint for designating wings:

Wing—has adequate size/length to defend the wing; ideally a competent shooter or plus defender; ideally a secondary shot creator that can attack a closeout at minimum

Number One with a Bullet

Eric Van Der Heijden

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’8/NA/200
• High School/AAU: Millbrook HS (NC)/Team Wall (Adidas)
• Current Composite Ranking: 3star/#140 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 50-75 Overall

Scouting: good pull-up jumper off the bounce and has the look of a knockdown floor-spacer off the catch. His vision looks superb, he makes timely passes that are accurate and lead to easy buckets. That’s a hard quality to find for a kid with his size. His handle is solid for a bigger wing, as he can change direction with a live dribble with relative ease. He’s an above average athlete with fluid movements. Not explosive, but certainly not sub-par. He projects as a mulit-year college player that has some pro-potential once he adds muscle mass in a high-major strength and conditioning program. 6’8 wings that can shoot off the bounce, make plays for others and put the ball on the floor with plus athleticism don’t grow on trees. Eric would be my #1 target because his size/skillset is compatible with any style of play and any roster combination. He’s versatile and skilled with a ton of upside.

[Hit THE JUMP for this edition of “Who Dats”]

Who Dats?

Josh Minott

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’8/NA/175
• High School/AAU: St. Andrews School (FL)/Nightrydas Elite (EYBL)
• Current Composite Ranking: NR(!)
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 50-75 Overall

Scouting: its nothing short of ludicrous that Minott isn’t currently in the top 100 at minimum. He’s a great athlete that combines fluidity, body control and some quick twitch explosion. Elevates with ease when jumping off 1 or 2 legs, which is less common than you think. Superb finisher that contorts his body to create clean looks at the rim before converting with either hand. Handles the ball like a guard, changes direction in tight spaces and strings together multiple change of speed/direction dribbles. He flashes the ability to hit pull-ups from distance, but his shot mechanics are poor. Definitely has a Lonzo-esque swingshot and a low shot origin. That said, it does go in. Good helpside rim protector that can block/alter shots based on his size and leaping ability. Projects as multi-year college player with pro-potential once he adds muscle mass. Absent concerns regarding his shooting mechanics, Josh may very well have been my #1 target. His two-way ceiling is phenomenal. Even if his shooting doesn’t allow him to be more than an average-ish shooter, his size/athleticism/handle will make him a real matchup problem at the college level in what will likely be a versatile role on both ends of the court.

Jordan Nesbitt

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’6/6’7/210
• High School/AAU: St. Louis Christian Academy (MO)/Brad Beal Elite (EYBL)
• Current Composite Ranking: #134 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 75ish Overall

Scouting: has the most polished guard skills in today’s pool. A perimeter shotmaker that hits pull-ups as his bread and butter. Has the ability to run pick and roll action as the ballhandler. Has made improvements as a playmaker for others off the bounce, but is still most comfortable as a scorer. Above average ballhandler that can bully smaller guards and finesse slower wings off the bounce. Plays mostly on-ball, but definitely shoots well enough to be a floor-spacer as well. Solid athlete but doesn’t have more than adequate acceleration or elevation. Developed physical frame that bodes well in a conference like the B10. Projects as an instant impact college player that is productive and likely to stick around until he’s an upperclassmen. Close to physically maxed-out and lacks ideal size/length/athleticism to garner much NBA attention unless he’s producing at a very high clip. He will help a college coach win a fair amount of games over multiple years.

Quincy Allen

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’6/6’8/175
• High School/AAU: Maret School (DC)/Team Takeover (EYBL)
• Current Composite Ranking: #46 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 50-75 Overall

Scouting: good positional size and length for a wing. Has a plus handle and can change direction/speed with a live dribble. Outstanding form on his jumper with good lower body balance and a nice release point. Hits pull-ups from three easily and it looks effortless when he’s shooting off the catch. Good athlete with fluid movements that elevates easily off 1 leg. Not a real playmaker for others at this stage in his development. Projects as a low-floor/high-ceiling prospect that will definitely need a year of strength/conditioning before he’s ready for heavy rotational minutes. Shooting appears to be his strongest facet at the college level and he may be a secondary shot creator, as he does have some ballskills to work with. Has some pro potential if he’s able to hit 3s at a high clip based on his size/length/athleticism. I tend to be skeptical about kids like this that come in with a high-profile. They typically give you 10-15 solid games before bolting for the pro-route based on potential. Return value may not be good, but he’s definitely got some talent.

Jordan Hawkins

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’5/NA/170
• High School/AAU: DeMatha Catholic (MD)/Team Durant (EYBL)
• Current Composite Ranking: #62 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 50-75 Overall

Scouting: very good shooter off the catch with some of the best shot mechanics you’ll see. No unnecessary motion with good elevation and a balanced lower body. Just a really clean shot. He’s got some real pop as a leaper. Hawkins can really get up off 1 or 2 legs and is a high-level finisher in transition and on lobs because of it. His handle needs to improve, he can attack closeouts or in a straight line, but doesn’t really have any shiftiness/wiggle. Not a playmaker for others at this point. Projects as multi-year college player in a 3&D specialist role, but absolutely requires 20-25 pounds of muscle mass prior to getting heavy minutes. His athleticism means he has a chance to be a good defender on the wing, particularly at the college level where 6’5 is adequate. His shooting prowess looks extremely promising and I think he’ll be a very good shooter at the next level.

Alex Fudge

• Height/Wingspan/Weight: 6’7/NA/185
• High School/AAU: Lee HS (FL)/Team Parson (Adidas)
• Current Composite Ranking: #78 Overall
• My End of Summer Projection: 4star/Top 50-75 Overall

Scouting: the epitome of the word upside. Fudge has NBA caliber athleticism and is explosive in general. His verticality pops out to anyone watching, his head is approaching rim-level when elevating off 1 or 2 legs. He moves very well with good straight line speed and a quick second jump. Good shot mechanics and has some real potential as a catch and shoot threat from the wing. Ballskills need further development, as his handle is loose. But he shows flashes of changing speeds with the ball to freeze defenders. Projects as multi-year college player that has pro-potential with further skill development. Biggest upside may be on the defensive end, where he has great positional size and athleticism. Could defend up to 3 different positions at the college level. His shooting ability will ultimately determine his productivity, but he will score in transition, on putbacks and lobs regardless. Elite athlete that can be very productive at the college level based on motor and developing skillset.