Le-Jett Howard
Watched the AntWright twitter stream of the men’s basketball exhibition game last night. Quick takeaways:
- Jett Howard is legit. Has NBA game. Now. If last night is a sign of things to come, he is a one-and-done, but we will love having him for that one. Shooter’s range, athletic, the whole package.
- Kobe is a different player. Changed his body. Way more confident. Smooth shot. Everything we needed him to become.
- Dug is the next in a long line of undersized but effective, feisty one guards. Will be fun. Opponents will hate him.
- Not a whole lot out of T-Will, the expected from Hunter, promise up and down the bench.
- Llewellyn didn’t have to do much, but looks good and capable.
Just an exhibition against a D2 squad, but promising and encouraging, to say the least. Better than advertised.
November 5th, 2022 at 8:45 AM ^
I see what you did there.
November 5th, 2022 at 8:48 AM ^
Jett has the grace of a swan, the wisdom of an owl, and the eyes of an eagle
Ladies and gentlemen, this man is for the birds
November 5th, 2022 at 12:18 PM ^
Norm MacDonald. The best.
November 5th, 2022 at 8:53 AM ^
Watched as well. All of this is spot-on Jett and Kobe looked great with Kobe giving off some weaponized-Poole vibes IMO. I believe, they both each only missed two shots but may be wrong.
I would add that T-Will didn’t seem to get a ton of PT after starting and wouldn’t attribute this to a need for lowered expectations rather than just getting other guys run. Lots of players in the rotation last night.
November 5th, 2022 at 8:56 AM ^
Here’s the box score. Jett’s line is extremely encouraging even if it was an exhibition against Ferris
November 5th, 2022 at 2:12 PM ^
We missed way too many free throws. Always a pet peeve of mine.
November 5th, 2022 at 9:36 AM ^
T-Will picked up two quick fouls and was autobenched for nearly all of the first half. Didn't play much in the 2nd as the bench got the last 12-13 minutes. Good choice by the coach imo, he knows what he has with the veterans, use the exhibition to see what the other guys bring to a game setting.
Overall a solid showing, but there are obviously a couple things to work on. Rebounding, especially on the defensive end. Defensive positioning in general, especially when Dickinson is out of the game.
Dug looked great driving but his outside shot was not close and a couple that he selected were not good Bob. Reed looks athletic and skilled, though not so much at the free throw line and you can tell he's thinking a lot out there especially on defense. He's going to be really good though.
Baker didn't have a good night, but I don't think anyone is projecting more than 10 minutes of stand in the corner and shoot 3s. Hopefully Barnes got a confidence boost from seeing some shots go in, he's be a nice piece to have as another shooter and athletic defender off the bench.
I expected to see a little more of Tschetter but he might need another year in the oven.
November 5th, 2022 at 8:53 AM ^
This will go down as the greatest Father-Son combo for head coach and player in college basketball history beating out Jim and Buddy Boeheim.
November 5th, 2022 at 10:06 AM ^
McBuckets was pretty good
November 5th, 2022 at 1:12 PM ^
Good call. The Howards have some work to do.
November 5th, 2022 at 7:27 PM ^
What about the Davis'at Detroit Mercy? I'll admit I'm not a Boeheim fan though!
November 5th, 2022 at 9:03 AM ^
Michigan 88
Ferris State 75
Jett Howard 30
Coby Buffkin 21
Dug McDaniel 11
Hunter Dickinson 9
November 5th, 2022 at 9:20 AM ^
30 points…nice
November 5th, 2022 at 9:27 AM ^
Kobe! (swishes balled up paper)
November 5th, 2022 at 1:29 PM ^
Who is Joey Baker?
November 5th, 2022 at 3:22 PM ^
The transfer from Duke. Supposed to be a 3 point sharp shooter. Will be interesting to see how he fits into rotation.
November 5th, 2022 at 1:48 PM ^
Damn Jett. I see you …
November 5th, 2022 at 9:08 AM ^
Every time I see this kid's name I will automatically think of this guy. I can't help it.
November 5th, 2022 at 9:51 AM ^
The Jet stole home!
November 5th, 2022 at 10:29 AM ^
B-B-B-Benny and the Jett!
November 5th, 2022 at 9:15 AM ^
I started watching late but apparently TWill got 2 fouls pretty quick and sat out most of the first half. He looked OK but thus far fits as more of a “garbage man” role in the starting five.
I did like that coach Howard took all the starters out (up 25) for the last 10+ minutes so almost everyone got a chance to get some run. It was decidedly less pleasing to the eyes than the starters but nice to see Barnes for more than a minute and get a first look at “yo-yo”.
November 5th, 2022 at 9:20 AM ^
There’s a comprehensive, 25 minute highlight video on YouTube - matthew loves ball channel.
Besides the obvious in Jett and Kobe - Dug looked great to me. Bigger and with a better jumper than I thought based on recruiting profile. Clearly option 2 at pg but I can see why they may have valued him over Frankie.
November 5th, 2022 at 9:23 AM ^
I went to the game, agree with your summary. Jett is legit, pure stroke. Kobe is thicker and has more confidence. Dug will be good, he will be our mini Iverson. Give him time. Probably alot of good plays and bad play. I think Baker will be a contributor.
Llewellyn gave me some Jones vibes as I had similar first impressions. Hopefully I'm way off as it's the first game. Can't help but wish we had Frankie Collins. Too bad he left, I feel he would of started.
November 5th, 2022 at 9:34 AM ^
Jet!
I can almost remember their funny faces
That time you told 'em that you were gonna be marrying soon
And Jet, I thought the only lonely place was on the moon
Jet! Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
November 5th, 2022 at 9:52 AM ^
Highlight's of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rZ17nK-IVQ
November 5th, 2022 at 9:54 AM ^
Beat me by a minute. Typing slow from my phone.
November 5th, 2022 at 9:53 AM ^
If anyone wants a visual.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
Thanks for these! Ferris State caveats PPLY BUT I noticed a few things.
- this team seems to have a bit more swag than last year. They also seem to gel a bit more.
- Bufkin is a complete different player. Seems quicker on Defense and was very aggressive on offense.
- Jhett is going to be a matchup nightmare. I didn’t realize how tall he is. At one point, it looked like they were playing him at the 4 but maybe I was mistaken.
I know it was Ferris State but for the first scrimmage they looked very balanced on offense.
November 5th, 2022 at 7:32 PM ^
I was impressed with the lack of turnovers. I was worried based on the games overseas. I thought that might be an Achilles heal for this team. May still be, but wasn't last night.
November 5th, 2022 at 9:57 AM ^
When we first recruited Dug, it seemed like people talked about his jumper being a question mark. Then there was a lot of talk about how much he had improved it. Last night, it looked extremely smooth. He'll get picked on on defense a bit because of his size but he is every bit as fast as Frankie Collins, is a creative passer, and has a variety of finishes near the hoop to make up for his size (would LOVE to see him add the Zavier Simpson hook shot).
Jett was awesome, but I do think Kobe will be the number 2 option. Looks more confident in his jumper but his decision-making was also terrific and that dunk was a hello moment.
Jett was not only hot from 3, but at first glance looks a bit more versatile than Caleb. He had a stepback, shot off movement, also attacked the hoop a couple of times and moved well without the ball. Also had a couple of freshmen moments but moves much better on D.
Very interested to see how the bench shakes out and I don't think it is settled. We really need more from T-Will on defense and on the glass than we got tonight. Really needs to improve on defensive glass, too often watches the ball instead of finding a guy to put a body on.
Hunter is Hunter. What more can you say at this point?
Perimeter defense is still an issue. Joey Baker got in and you can see why (shooting, experience) but he got bullied on the glass a bit. Did take a nice charge but Michigan got beat off the dribble a lot. Khayat looked much more comfortable defending on the perimeter. I also wonder if we'll see Isaiah Barnes. He didn't get in until late but knocked in a 3 and would appear to have an athletic advantage over Baker.
Tarris Reed looked physically ready and has some nice post moves. Putting too much arc on his FT's and needs to clean up his technique on post D a bit. Still, should be capable as a backup.
Right now the rotation appears to be:
PG: Llewelyn, Dug
SG: Kobe (that's fun to write), Baker, (Barnes)
SF: Jett, Baker, (Khayat)
PF: T-Will, Jace
C: Hunter, Tarris
November 5th, 2022 at 10:07 AM ^
So you’re say’n he too le-Jett to quit?
I’ll show myself out.
November 5th, 2022 at 10:28 AM ^
I like the message..
November 5th, 2022 at 10:33 AM ^
That stat someone posted last week about Jett and Kobe tied as the youngest players on THIS YEAR'S team reminds us how young Kobe was last year. He really needed another year chronologically as well as physically. This was really his coming out party exhibition.
November 5th, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
As others have noted the 4 slot was a major, major disappointment this game. Here are the results from our 4 players this game:
0 points, 7 personal fouls, 5 turnovers, 6 defensive rebounds (0 offensive)
Because there was not a lot of differences between the Ferris 3 and 4, I was watching Barnes and Khayat defending underneath and wondering...could they play (most importantly defend) at the 4. They have the corner offensive game needed for the Michigan's 4 spot and given the lack of real size among our current 4s may not be any less of a defensive liability.
I love T Will's energy but even last year he seemed to be a totally different player (offensively & defensively) game to game. We need a strong second option. I still think Jace is the likely option there (he had some standout games off the bench last year) but could Barnes or Khayat provide a higher ceiling?
November 5th, 2022 at 12:19 PM ^
Lots of teams play a wing in that spot. We can do so too and be fine, especially off the bench. See the Beilein era for confirmation.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:43 AM ^
opponent caveats aside, Jett was shooting really well - they were not all wide open threes; many were contested and many were hair trigger quick... which is promising as the season progresses.
Bufkin seems like an entirely new player - not only in build, but more importantly confidence.
Dug impressed with his on ball pressure, and he had some great driving layups.
Others did flash, but none were very consistent as these 3...hopefully, everyone else is just getting their 'sea legs' and will improve as the season starts.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:58 AM ^
Le Jett is legit.
Niiiiice. I like that.
November 5th, 2022 at 12:59 PM ^
I agree there’s promise on the bench but there wasn’t much positive to take from last night. Reed looked pretty fluid offensively but he seems like he’s 6’8” maybe 6’9” with a long way to go defensively.
November 5th, 2022 at 1:36 PM ^
Thanks OP
What I love about Dug is that there is almost no way he leaves college early. He's maybe 5'10" at best. There are so few early entry sub 6' players in the NBA. It just doesn't happen. We got that dude for the next FOUR years! He is so fun to watch. He will easily be a fan favorite here pretty soon. A pitbull with rabies
November 5th, 2022 at 1:49 PM ^
I am very encouraged by his 6-8 performance from deep.
November 5th, 2022 at 1:51 PM ^
I was at the game. Hunter was just getting in a workout. TWIII was invisible and had foul trouble, but we've seen what he can do. Thoughts on the new guys:
Jett is absolutely legit. However good you think he was, in person, he was even better. He's smooth, he's poised, his three-point stroke is beautiful, he's fast and confident when he drives. When he got hot at the end of the first half, the team was content to just keep feeding him. He was just as hot when his dad took him out of the game in the second half. He could have easily had 40 or more. Yeah, it was Ferris, but you still need to make your 3's. He's goooooood.
Jaelin had three assists and only one turnover in 17 minutes and seemed very much in control. Handles pressure well and seems like he's maybe a little faster than the last two transfer point guards we've had. Missed both of his three-pointers, but his shot looked good.
Dug is a blast to watch. Great motor on both ends of the court and only seemed to be out of control once or twice. Don't think we can count on him much from 3. He'll be a great 10-12-minute guy. No way he's 5-11; maybe 5-8.
Joey Baker looks exactly like you think a Duke player would look. Didn't have a whole lot to do (got fouled on his one three-pointer), and doesn't seem to be an alpha dog at all. He had a beautiful feed to Youssef on his bucket.
Tarris Reed is also going to be a blast to watch. He's HUGE - like, really enormous - and plays out of control a lot, but man, does he hustle. You don't usually see dudes that big diving after loose balls. He's so rough, but once he gets a little coaching, he could be a force. He's going to be a fan favorite. We do NOT want him to shoot free throws. Ever. He might have the worst free-throw stroke we've ever seen, which is saying a lot.
Youssef Khayat had a few nice plays but seemed pretty timid. Considering how late it was when he entered the game, it looks like he's not going to be a rotational guy this year. He's young and he looks young. Ran the floor really well. Beef him up and get him some confidence and he could be a factor next year.