Next year's team/lineup

Submitted by Matte Kudasai on

 

I hate to be critical of any kid after such a great year but it's obvious to me that after tonight that next year's lineup should be the following:

1 - DeJulius/Z

2- Poole/DeJulius

3 - Matthews/Iggy B

4 - Livers/Johns

5- Johns/Castleton

It may not look like this in Nov/Dec but by January it should.

As much as Z improved, he's limited.  He can't shoot from the perimeter and he can't shoot free throws.  His defense was great at times, but he also looked real bad against some elite athletes.  This offense is eons better with a true scorer at the 1.

Teske had a couple of good games for us this year, but again, he's limited.  His lack of athleticism is too much to overcome for what he offers.  He should never be more than a backup at Michigan.

Johns might not be a natural 5, but hopefully he can play both the 4&5 in Beilein's system.

While I think Mo is gone, I don't think it would be crazy for him to return.  He needs to be alot more consistent before he does anything productive in the NBA.  Of course if he's being told he's in the lottery that changes everything.

 

 

L'Carpetron Do…

April 3rd, 2018 at 9:38 AM ^

This is a dumb thread. I think Wagner comes back and if not Teske is the starter. Simpson is starting and will be one of the best PGs in the game next year.  Freshmen big men and freshmen point guards are rarely capable and need time under Beilein's system. they also don't replace great solid returning players at their positions.

Hail-Storm

April 3rd, 2018 at 11:17 AM ^

Beilein has not shown a knack for player development. Poole and Livers will not be better than they were this year as freshman.

It's like the OP watched one game this year against the national champs and is extrapolating the results for the rest of next year.  

Also, too bad we never saw Teske play basket for basket against elite talent like Haas. Just like McGary immeadiately started over Morgan, it will be the same next year.  OP is a dope.

CLion

April 3rd, 2018 at 1:03 AM ^

Man your take is so off base, just like OPs post. Anyone who thinks Zavier and Teske won't be starting or that they are anything of a negative is simply clueless. And if you don't expect Poole to make a jump you're just being severely pessimistic. Not to mention you overlooking Brazdeikis and the other frosh.

Occam's Razor

April 3rd, 2018 at 1:13 AM ^

Teske won't replace Wagner. But the combination of him and Livers could be enough. 

When was the last time a freshman really contributed offensively under Beilein? Poole has done the most we've seen since Trey. 

 

njvictor

April 3rd, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^

He just held the NPOY to 4/13 shooting and 9 points... anyone who sees Simpson as a negative is ignorant. His offense isn't fantastic, but his defense is already worth him starting

njvictor

April 3rd, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^

He just held the NPOY to 4/13 shooting and 9 points... anyone who sees Simpson as a negative is ignorant. His offense isn't fantastic, but his defense is already worth him starting

pryoo

April 3rd, 2018 at 7:48 PM ^

Bc Brunson is somehow able to use his elbow to pound the defender without getting called for it, while flopping as soon as someone gets close to him and drawing the foul.

Z was very effective finishing at the rim, and he seems like a fierce competitor. I'm sure he'll come back with his outside shot much improved. And he's already one of the leaders of this team.

ThadMattasagoblin

April 3rd, 2018 at 12:45 AM ^

I think Z struggles offensively but we haven't seen DeJulius yet. Defense can only carry you so far and we have to get better guard play and shooting next year. We should be a top 5 team if everyone comes back sans Wagner.

HL2VCTRS

April 3rd, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^

Unless you can put the offensive talent that Villanova had on the floor, good defense is never your constraint. Z/X just shut down virtually every “great” offensive player that he faced, including the player of the year. He may not be a scoring machine at this point, but he cancels out the other team’s PG and generates steals. He’s a huge net positive for us and will continue to develop.

Occam's Razor

April 3rd, 2018 at 12:45 AM ^

We're still lacking scoring. 

Who's gonna score on this team? 

Poole and Matthews? 

 

One of DeJulius, Iggy, Johns, or Nunez is going to have to be a superstar as a freshman. 

RobM_24

April 3rd, 2018 at 1:07 AM ^

I thought the same thing after the THJr, Stauskas, GR3, McGary, Burke crew left. Beilein turned guys like Walton and MAAR into Big Ten Champs. He made LeVert into an NBA combo guard. Poole definitely has the raw talent to be a Stauskas type, and you can build an offense around him creating with that quick first step and stepback three ability. Beilein turned LeVert and GR3 into good shooters, and he could do the same for Livers -- and make Zavier a serviceable shooter while being an elite defender (Aaron Craft type). Teske can play, but he's built for short spurts -- whether he starts or not is insignificant. I'm not sure how Watson and Brooks will develop, I'm not as high on them as Livers and Poole.

M Ascending

April 3rd, 2018 at 8:40 AM ^

If the unthinkable happens, and Mo decides to return, this team wwould be unbeatable.  If he is actually predicted to be a mid-2nd round selection, he could conceivably decide to come back for unfinished business.  Highly doubtful, but one can dream.

FatGuyTouchdown

April 3rd, 2018 at 2:35 AM ^

Poole is my dark horse for Big Ten Player of the Year. I think he's gonna take a Stauskas-esque jump next year. You can already see how much slower the game moves for him in regards to making the right move when he attacks the hoop. Livers will improve. And Iggy is the real deal. He's gonna get buckets.

Carcajou

April 3rd, 2018 at 9:15 AM ^

I think what we're lacking is consistent scoring. Too many players will seem to get hot for a game (or two), and then grow cold for several. Granted that made the team extremely interesting to watch- it seemed like a different heroes just about every game down the stretch. I realize some of that may have had to do with how different teams were defensing Michigan and the mismatches created with switching.



I realize that there is some tradeoff for the increased energy expended on defense- a tradeoff that has proven worthwhile for the most part, and hopefully with more talent and depth that situation will be improved, Simpson is never going to be a great offensive player, but what he brings to the table with his defense, running the offense, leadership, basketball intelligence, and even rebounding(!), more than make up from his weaknesses shooting threes IMO.



Michigan needs more scoring from more guys simply playing up to their potential in any given game; and certainly more consistent shooting from the free throw line- which we all thought would be our undoing.



Unfortunately, for most of the tournament, only one or two guys seemed to have particularly good nights shooting- and it seemed like it was different guys each time. In some ways, that made this one seem like a team of destiny. But I mentioned before the game that I had the feeling they would need at least three guys to shoot well (especially from three) to beat VU, and they didn't get that. Wagner was great the first few minutes and then in patches; MAAR for much of the game. At least Simpson got 10. But far too little from Mathews, Robinsoon, Poole, Livers to win. And there were too-long stretches when Michigan was not scoring at all- ice cold. 3/23 (13%) from three will lose most games no matter who you play, made worse when you are being out-rebounded. Not doing a good enough job on the defensive boards and allowing too many second-chance points can also be demoralizing.

SHub'68

April 3rd, 2018 at 12:46 AM ^

In one of the interviews after the B1G tournament, Beilein was questioned about the need for Matthews and Z to shoot free-throws (the reasoning was about importance in the up coming games).  Beilein said they'd practice them but they need to break down their whole shot.  Said they'd do this in the off-season, esp. Matthews.  I suspect this covers shooting in general, not just FTs.  I trust Beilein's ability to work with shooters; Z will be fine.

garde

April 3rd, 2018 at 10:00 AM ^

Disagree about Mathhews' form. It isn't horrendous and can easily be corrected with a ton of gym time, but his stroke needs to be more compact. On his 3 point attempts, he catches and then dips the ball. He needs to get rid of that dip and make the movement more compact. Moreover, he has a tendency to move the ball from his shooting hip and brings it every so slightly to the left before coming back to the right and launching. Its subtle but there. That's why he is wildly inconsistent from outside.