Get ready for a lot of pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops
Throughout this whirlwind of a roster rebuild, I’ve tried to distinguish a pattern among the players that Dusty May has recruited to come to Michigan, via the transfer portal and from the 2024 class. All these players are obviously talented, but after thinking about it for a while and breaking down the film of all these players, it finally clicked:
Every player that May has recruited to come to Michigan thrives when running ball screens.
The past two seasons, Florida Atlantic May had a top-25 offense in adjusted efficiency on KenPom , and running a ball-screen-heavy offense well is a big reason why. The Owls ran a lot of ball screens in his time at FAU , and considering that and the fact that for $39.99, you can buy May’s Essential Guide to Ball Screen Offense at Championshipproductions.com , it feels safe to assume that the Wolverines will run a ball-screen heavy offense.
This isn’t a revolutionary gameplan, as almost every offense in college basketball is based around ball screens. But May uses ball screens in his offensive sets creatively. It’s not just a simple action like we often saw Michigan run with Dug McDaniel last season; once the big catches it on the short roll, there’s cutting, and if the big doesn’t have a great look, he can go right into a dribble handoff or another ball screen on the other side of the floor. But no matter what, May’s offenses are almost never stagnant; there’s always motion to confuse the defenses and generate open looks.
With the personnel May has recruited, Michigan should be able to thrive off of ball screens. Vlad Goldin, who knows the offense real well from his time at FAU, and Danny Wolf give the Wolverines two talented 7-footers . Both guys can score in the paint and in the mid-range off of the short roll, with Wolf stepping out and hitting the occasional three.
Both big men have size, a high basketball I.Q., a good feel for the game, and versatility in terms of shot creation and scoring. There will always be at least one seven-footer on the floor, giving Michigan length, rim protection, and oftentimes an offensive mismatch. All those attributes make them the ideal players to run ball screens at Michigan well.
And you can’t run a good ball screen without good guards, but Michigan now has plenty. Roddy Gayle Jr. showed at Ohio State that he loves to attack the rim. Rubin Jones navigated ball screens to a tee at North Texas and showcased excellent court vision. The same can be said about Tre Donaldson, who thrived running Auburn’s second unit and accounted for a lot of baskets for the Tigers in limited minutes. Also, May’s two 2024 recruits — Justin Pippen and Lorenzo Cason — both have the tools to run the ball screen well and score at the rim or off the bounce on threes off of screens.
You need spacing and three-point shooting to run pick-and-rolls effectively, and the Wolverines have that. With Nimari Burnett returning, Michigan has another guard that can heat up in a hurry and could even run a ball screen, likely in the second unit.
Nimari Burnett is returning to Michigan for another season. Here’s a friendly reminder of what he’s capable of: scored 21 points against St John’s back in November in what ended up being one of Michigan’s most impressive wins.
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— Kellen Voss (@Kellen__Voss) April 30, 2024
In forwards Sam Walters and Will Tschetter , Michigan has two players who can stretch the floor and hit the three if defenses crowd the lane to guard the pick-and-roll. And when they aren’t spotting up, Michigan can utilize either of them as the screener and have them pick-and-pop, opening up the lane for cuts and adding another layer to the offense to keep defenses guessing.
As of May 4, there is still one scholarship spot available on Michigan’s roster, and based on the pattern we’ve already seen, May is likely going to add a player who can thrive in his ball screen offense.
There’s a lot to like about Michigan’s new roster, and looking at the players Michigan has landed, there’s a clear direction for where May wants to go on offense. Get ready to see a lot of ball screens and an offense that can actually create shots and score efficiently, which is something the Michigan men’s basketball team has lacked for a few seasons now.