All those point guards will help with a ball-screen heavy offense.
We are less than six months away from the 2024-25 college basketball season, and before the Michigan men’s basketball team takes the court, new head coach Dusty May shed some light on the offense he wants to run.
With the roster almost set, May spoke to the media earlier this month and said he wants to have more than one point guard on the floor.
“We’d like to have two point guards on the floor at all times anyway,” May said. “So it’s more difficult for the defense to take away the head of the snake.”
May has the personnel to run a lot of ball screens like he did at Florida Atlantic, and taking influences from the NBA, May wants to be able to keep the defense guessing with playmakers all over the court.
“We play a bit egalitarian system, everyone is involved. The pro of that is it’s more fun to watch; it’s what the NBA is going to, it’s what the world has gone to,” May said. “We need a quarterback on the court. Sometimes it’s been our center, sometimes it’s been our point guard. Hopefully we have several playmakers on the court and because of guys’ self-awareness, the ball will find the right guys when it needs to after the advantage is created.”
This far out from the start of the season, it’s hard to project exactly what the starting lineup could be for the Wolverines. But looking at the group on paper, if May wants to run two point guards at the same time, North Texas transfer Rubin Jones and Auburn transfer Tre Donaldson could share the starting backcourt.
Jones shot 41.6 percent from three last season and would provide the Wolverines with veteran leadership and excellent defense. He could play well off Donaldson, who is a smidge undersized at 6-foot-2 but ran ball screens well and was a big reason why Auburn had a top-10 offense on KenPom this past season. Donaldson was efficient playing less than 20 minutes per game last season, and May seems confident in his chances of being a big-time contributor.
“We thought the ball came out of his hands at the right time, whether it was hitting the roll or spraying it out for a three,” May said. “(He’s a) capable defender and he came from winning, Auburn has won at a high level. He split minutes last year with a McDonald’s All-American point guard. When we plugged in his numbers in a typical 28-29-minute game, he was very efficient and his numbers were very conducive to winning.”
Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr. could also have the ball in his hands a lot, as he proved to be very effective attacking the rim , either scoring himself or facilitating. May had plenty of great things to say about him as well.
“I think he’s got the unique ability to get downhill and draw fouls,” May said. “(His ability to) offensive rebound, he runs in transition, he plays off the pick-and-roll well, he’s efficient as a passer, he doesn’t over dribble and I believe in his jump shot. I know he didn’t shoot a great percentage last year, but I think he’s a much better shooter than that. We’re excited about him on a number of levels, I could probably go on for another 30 minutes talking about Roddy. I think he’s a special guy.”
Michigan will also get Nimari Burnett back this season , and while he proved last season that he’s not a point guard, he certainly can play well off of one. Playing two point guards could help Michigan score efficiently this upcoming season, but it’s also key for development as well. Playing one of the freshmen guards — Justin Pippen , Lorenzo Cason and Durral Brooks — with a more experienced ball handler would put them in a position to succeed.
Playing time for freshmen guards was spotty during the Juwan Howard era, but May seems open to the idea of those young guards contributing.
“I think when you look at our roster, we’re a little thin at guard depth, and those guys are going to have a chance to break into the rotation,” May said. “How quickly they get acclimated to college is going to determine if they crack the rotation or not, but those guys all come from great programs, they are used to winning, they have the right substance and DNA to them. We’re excited about all of them — those three are going to represent this place well and they have a bright future. I’m excited to see them grow together because they all complement each other well.”
Michigan still has one available scholarship as of this writing. Of course in college basketball, we never want to read too much into quotes six months before the season starts, but if the Wolverines really want to roll with two point guards, and May feels that the team needs more guard depth, don’t be surprised if the final scholarship player ends up being a guard.
Which guard pairing are you most excited to see at Michigan? Let us know in the comments.