2022 Record: 18-16 (11-9)

Head Coach: Juwan Howard (Career Record 79-48)

Projected Rotation:

PG: Dug McDaniel (8.6 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 3.6 Ast)

SG: Nimari Burnett (Alabama 5.6 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.7 Ast)

SF: Terrance Williams (6.1 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 0.8 Ast)

PF: Olivier Nkamhoua (Tennessee 10.8 Pts, 5.0 Reb, 2.0 Ast)

C: Tarris Reed (3.4 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 0.1 Ast)

6: PG Jaelin Llewellyn (7.0 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 2.8 Ast)

7: PF Tray Jackson (Seton Hall 6.5 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.2 Ast)

8: PF Will Tschetter (2.3 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 0.4 Ast)

9: SG George Washington III

10: C Lee Aaliya

11: SG Jace Howard (1.2 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.1 Ast)

12: SF Youssef Khayat (1.3 Pts, 0.7 Reb, 0.2 Ast)

Michigan has a long road ahead of them having to replace their 3 best players that they lost in the offseason. One of the most important pieces they brought back was point guard Dug McDaniel. He proved that he can run an offense as a freshman. He has a very high basketball IQ, he doesn’t really turn the ball over, and he gets his teammates involved in the offense. He’s also a very quick guard and is able to blow by defenders and get easy buckets. Michigan also returns point guard Jaelin Llewellyn who got injured early on last season. The former Princeton guard had high expectations going into the season, but he was very inconsistent in the short amount of playtime he got.

Other returners expected to start next season for the Wolverines are Terrance Williams and Tarris Reed. Williams has gotten a little bit better and more comfortable in the system each year. Going into his senior season, this could be his best year yet and he has the opportunity to average near double figures. Tarris Reed’s role is really going to be elevated this season. He’s going to need to step into that starting center role in just his sophomore season. He did play somewhat of a decent amount last season and did solid when called upon, but he’s going to have big shoes to fill having to replace all-american big man Hunter Dickinson. Other remaining returners on the team include PF Will Tschetter who could have an expanded role next season as well, along with Youssef Khayat and Juwan’s son Jace Howard who figure to be towards the bottom of the rotation.

Michigan brought in transfer forwards Olivier Nkamhoua and Tray Jackson this offseason to attempt to offset some of the losses they suffered. Nkamhoua is definitely the most notable of the transfers. He’s an elite defender with some of his defensive statistical categories ranking towards the top nationally. He can also be a very productive offensive player while still developing an outside shot, Nkamhoua is a force on the interior. Tray Jackson is more of a project in a one year scenario, but he is a player coming to Ann Arbor with immense experience. He’s also a force on the defensive side of the ball and it’s expected that he backs up Nkamhoua this upcoming season. Jackson also has the ability to stretch the floor and make a three when need be.

Michigan also added transfer guard Nimari Burnett from Alabama who graduated early so he could be immediately eligible this upcoming season. Burnett previously spent some time at Texas Tech before Alabama. The former 4 star has the tangibles to be a high productive player this upcoming season and surprise many. He could be a double figure guy that’s also a threat on the defensive end. It really seemed like Michigan was focused on sharpening up their defense this offseason as every player they took has elite defensive skills. Michigan also got commitments from a couple of freshman. The most notable being George Washington III who is a 4 star and top 100 guard. The other freshman the Wolverines signed is big man Lee Aaliya from Argentina who just signed with the Wolverines this week. He’s more of a developmental player that just burst onto the scene recently and is worth taking a chance on.

Michigan had a disappointing season last year only making the NIT and winning 18 total games with 2 first round draft picks and one of the best big men in the sport. This roster is a fairly significant downgrade from last years team in terms of talent. The way this team performs will depend on how well they mesh and how the overall chemistry is. Michigan is projected to be in the bottom 5 of the conference next season, but they could be a team that potentially surprised if all goes well. Juwan Howard needs to get this team back to the tournament soon to feel secure about his job. It takes a few rough seasons to fire a coach at their alma mater but not getting the program back to tournaments ASAP will start to tilt towards a Howard departure in the future.