Michigan Basketball brought in a ton of new players this offseason that have a ton of talent. However, one of the returning players has earned some praise from head coach Dusty May for being the “most productive basketball player” on the team:
The Michigan Wolverines’ basketball program brought in four new transfers and three incoming freshmen to not only attempt to recreate the magic from the 2024-2025 season, but to go further than head coach Dusty May’s inaugural season.
The Wolverines saw Danny Wolf go in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft while Vlad Goldin signed a two-way contract with the Miami Heat. Rubin Jones is also no longer in college after running out of eligibility. In addition to those three, freshmen Phat Phat Brooks and Justin Pippen hit the transfer portal, opening up five roster spots.
With so much focus on the new faces to the program, it is easy to forget about the returners that stuck with Michigan through Juwan Howard’s firing. However, they have been making noise in summer workouts, and May wants everyone to know Nimari Burnett, in particular, is coming with another level of progression in 2025.
Entering his sixth and final season of college basketball, Burnett is not only a deep-ball threat — he is a leader, a facilitator, and in the words of his head coach, the “most productive basketball player as a whole” on Michigan’s roster throughout the summer.
“Through summer workouts, Nimari might be our — he’s probably been our most productive basketball player as a whole,” May said.
“The continuity (Burnett and Will Tschetter) bring, the character that they bring, the work capacity, the unselfishness where they’re trying to help the younger guys 24/7. They’re spending their time and energy trying to help guys who could potentially chip into their minutes because they want to win, and they want to be great teammates.
“So, if we’re ever going to be at a championship level, and time will tell if we’re going to be at a championship level this season, a big part of it is going to be because of the leadership and continuity of those guys.”
May has made it no secret he values experienced players from the portal. And while some older players around college hoops don’t necessarily want to focus on helping those around them, Burnett has done the opposite. He has taken guys under his wing to coach them up and bring the best out of his new squad.
“I’ve tried to be as personable as possible,” Burnett said. “I feel like I’ve always been a personable person, and a high character person, but, to really get engaged with the new guys — it’s all like brotherhood here, especially at the University of Michigan. I’ve enjoyed my time here and people have welcomed me with open arms, so I just wanna do that in return and just have one last final hurrah with it.”
Burnett’s teammates have recognized his contributions.
“He’s been holding my hand, helping me out and talking to me,” Morez Johnson Jr. said of Burnett. “Things that Dusty says that I don’t know, I just walk up to (Burnett) and he will fill me in. He’s been very helpful with my transition, giving me guidance a little bit. I appreciate him.”
Yaxel Lendeborg added: “(Tschetter and Burnett) have been giving 110 percent every single day, communicating the most, just bringing a lot of energy, bringing a lot of love as well, which is great. (They are) making it feel like we’re all together, like we’ve been here for five years. We all just got here, so it’s been great. Nimari and Will are my favorite on the team … those are my favorite guys to talk to, look up to and just ask as many questions as I can.”
Going into his final season of college basketball, Burnett’s goal is to be consistent, keep his body in tip-top shape and shoot with conviction. Coming off a season where he averaged around nine points per game and shot 40 percent from three, if Burnett is showing signs of being the most productive player on the team, Michigan could be even more dangerous than anticipated.
It may only be the summer, but if the Wolverines are to outperform expectations in May’s second season, leaders are going to need to step up to keep the group intact. As it stands, Burnett has assumed that role, leaving everyone on the team in the best position to thrive before they take on a gauntlet of a schedule this winter.