In the quick-paced offense that Michigan is hoping to run, shot creation will play an important role. The Wolverines, and guard Roddy Gayle Jr. in particular, have drawn inspiration from the reigning NBA champs Boston Celtics in that department:
The Michigan men’s basketball team is coming off a dominant 44-point victory in a charity exhibition against Oakland . The Wolverines attacked the Golden Grizzlies’ zone with excellent ball movement and made the most of their opportunities from beyond the arc.
Crisp passing, knockdown shooting and scoring in transition are the easiest ways to attack the zone Oakland played. We didn’t see Michigan run almost any ball screens considering the opponent it was facing, but based on the personnel and Dusty May’s previous offenses , expect to see a lot of ball-screen action this season.
Ball screens and swinging the ball on offense are great ways to get defenses out of place and create advantages for Michigan on offense. With a roster that possibly lacks a go-to scorer, Michigan turned to the reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, to get tips on how to create advantages and score against staunch Big Ten defenses.
“(May) was really a big Boston Celtics guy during their run, he made us watch every game when they were playing,” Roddy Gayle Jr. said. “So I feel like he took a lot of their stuff and how they were successful in the playoffs and the regular season. That’s kind of his play style, just how fast he is able to play but also structured.”
While there’s a lot to like about this Michigan team full of new faces, the team may struggle with creating shots outside of screens and swinging the ball. Having players that can get a bucket on their own is crucial, especially in Big Ten play, when opponents have a great feel for plays and sets and general actions.
Gayle may be able to get his own bucket thanks to his driving ability and scoring prowess from multiple levels. He was a solid scorer for Ohio State last season, averaging 13.5 points per game. With a group full of shooters, his slashing style can work well as a secondary offense, with the defense so focused on preventing the three.
May had Gayle take tips from some of the best scorers on that Boston team in an effort to improve his scoring bag of tricks. This may prove vital since he’ll be one of the main guys counted on to score this season.
“He told me to watch a lot of Jrue Holiday, how he got his baskets, kind of just flowing around and popping out to the three,” Gayle said. “Jaylen Brown, even Jayson Tatum, he went from his rookie year shooting a lot of bad twos, where now he’s transitioning to get to the basket, using his size or shoot the three ball. (May) had me watching a ton of Boston Celtics.”
May’s messaging to the players to prioritize layups and threes is fairly clear and makes sense, considering those are the same shots that successful NBA teams like the Celtics prioritize.
On paper, it doesn’t appear there’s a clear go-to guy at the end of games on this roster, but with his versatility, Gayle could easily fill that role. When asked about potentially being relied upon late in games, he said he would accept the role while also taking time to praise all the potential options the Wolverines would have at the end of games.
“I just look at it as if coach May needs me to be that guy, I’ll lock in,” Gayle said. “I’m more than capable, I’m versatile, I feel like I have the respect and the ability from my teammates, I feel like they give me confidence and so does the coaching staff. They put me in this position to be great, and I feel like we’ve worked on it throughout the summer. I feel like I’m ready for that moment. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that and we can win every game by double digits so it’s a little less stress.”
“But I feel like anybody is capable of being that closer for us,” Gayle continued. “I wouldn’t say I’m the closer, I feel like whoever we have going that night. Just like the fluidity and versatility we have on this team is something unlike most.”