How Dusty May’s fast-paced offense has unlocked one of Michigan’s unlikeliest stars this season

Four games into the 2024-25 college basketball season, it’s safe to say Michigan senior guard Nimari Burnett is thriving. @Kellen__Voss breaks down why Burnett is playing his best basketball for @umichbball right now:

Like most players a year ago, Michigan guard Nimari Burnett was struggling. He was asked to do too much and wasn’t put in the best position to succeed.

Just one season later, thanks to a new coaching staff and new playmakers around him, Burnett is thriving.

While it is a small sample, Burnett is averaging career-highs in points per game (11.8) and field goal percentage (64.3 percent) so far in 2024-25. According to KenPom ($) , he’s averaging a higher offensive rating (152.3, 47th in the country) and effective field goal percentage (80.4 percent) as well as a career-low in turnover rate (11.7). He’s coming off an 18-point performance — tied for his second-highest total across 75 games — in a win over Miami (Ohio).

While that shooting percentage is bound to go down, to say Burnett is off to a hot, efficient start is an understatement, especially compared to what we saw from him in 2023-24.

Last season, Burnett led the Wolverines in scoring three times, all in losses. He was often asked to do too much on offense, creating shots and also getting extended minutes at point guard during Dug McDaniel’s partial suspension . It seemed like he was overwhelmed with all the responsibilities, leading to inconsistent performances.

Now, he’s led Michigan in scoring in two straight wins over TCU and Miami (Ohio), and it’s partially due to his role being much different this season. Burnett is now surrounded by shot creators like Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Danny Wolf, so he doesn’t have to set up his own shot as opposed to last season.

Burnett has been a beneficiary of Michigan’s new fast-paced offense under head coach Dusty May. Surrounded by playmakers in an offense that prioritizes three-pointers and fast-break points, his true potential is being unlocked before our very eyes.

After Monday’s win, guard Rubin Jones spoke on that fast-paced offense, saying it’s second nature for him and he likes playing in it because it’s more up-and-down.

“It’s kind of just natural, just playing off your instincts and reading what the game gives you,” Jones said. “There’s not really too much thinking into it, it’s just what the defense gives you, you’re going to take advantage of it.”

Playing fast and instinctively appears beneficial for Burnett. It’s easy to forget he was a highly rated prospect coming out of high school. His career began at Texas Tech, where he was briefly teammates and roommates with Vlad Goldin as freshmen.

Asked about Burnett after the Miami (Ohio) win, Goldin said it’s nice to see Burnett continue to improve.

“It’s just cool to see,” Goldin said. “It’s amazing to see the growth as a person, as a player. With how much we’ve changed, it’s amazing. Such a long way to get to that kind of player, it’s great.”

Burnett is one of the few players to remain at Michigan after the mass exodus this offseason following the firing of head coach Juwan Howard. Burnett sticking it out and now transforming into a go-to guy for the Wolverines is something Goldin loves to see.

“It’s definitely something that takes a lot of courage because you don’t know what kind of guys are coming, what coach is coming, it’s never an easy decision” Goldin said. “I feel like he shows that he’s a great player, he runs down the court, he makes threes, he plays great defense. He’s been one of the anchor guys.”

Burnett has been playing well alongside Donaldson especially, who has been Michigan’s offensive catalyst in a lot of ways.

May said after the win the starting backcourt has gotten off to a fantastic start for the 3-1 Michigan Wolverines.

“(Burnett and Donaldson are) both playing really well,” May said. “They’ve obviously complimented each other well, the three-point efficiency, they go 7-of-11 combined, they’re looking for each other. They’re making the simple play more times than not. That’s usually a recipe for success if you have a talented roster.”

Turnovers have obviously been a concern so far, but the new playing style and a new group of players still figuring each other out are partially to blame for that trend. As the season progresses, it’s likely those turnover numbers will decrease. And as this group develops chemistry, having talented players like Burnett who can knock down shots makes Michigan a tough out.