Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines have done an excellent job re-tooling in the transfer portal, but this one glaring need still needs to be addressed:
The transfer portal in men’s college basketball doesn’t close until April 22, but the Wolverines have done an excellent job retooling their roster since it opened.
With UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg , guard Elliot Cadeau , and two bigs in Morez Johnson and Aday Mara , Michigan has the top-ranked portal class on 247Sports and EvanMiya.com . It’s a testament to the hard work Dusty May and his staff have done, rolling with the punches amidst all the portal chaos.
Two weeks in, here’s a look at how the roster has changed:
Players transferring in
- North Carolina G Elliot Cadeau
- Illinois F/C Morez Johnson
- UAB F Yaxel Lendeborg
- UCLA C Aday Mara
Players transferring out or out of eligibility
- G Justin Pippen – Cal
- G Tre Donaldson – University of Miami
- G Jace Howard (No landing spot yet)
- F Sam Walters (No landing spot yet)
- G Durral Brooks (No landing spot yet)
- G Rubin Jones (out of eligibility)
- C Vlad Goldin (out of eligibility)
Players expected to return
- G/F Roddy Gayle Jr.
- G L.J. Cason
- F/C Will Tschetter
Incoming freshmen
- Five-star G Trey McKenney
- Four-star G Winters Grady
- Four-star F Oscar Goodman
TBD
- G Nimari Burnett
- F Danny Wolf
Not accounting for Burnett and Wolf, that’s 10 of Michigan’s 15 scholarship spots accounted for.
So far, a lot of needs have been addressed. The front court has been restocked, there’s versatility in the backcourt, and there’s a good mix of experience and young talent.
But on paper, one need still needs to be addressed — three-point shooting.
As good as that four-person group of transfers is, none of those players could be described as pure shooters. Lendeborg is above average, but he’s more of a slasher/all-around scorer. Cadeau prefers driving and facilitating. Finally, the two bigs have yet to even attempt a three in college.
Three-point shooting was not a strength for the Wolverines in 2024-25. U-M ranked 205th on KenPom in three-point percentage and is losing two of their best three-point shooters in Donaldson and Walters. With Donaldson, Walters, Goldin, Jones and Pippen all leaving, that’s a staggering 128 made three-pointers from last year that aren’t coming back next season. That’s not factoring in the 104 made threes that Michigan would lose if Burnett and Wolf both move on.
Michigan’s got the guard play and bigs to run May’s ball-screen heavy offense, but adding a few more shooters to space the floor and hit big shots raises the floor of next year’s team significantly.
Michigan is well aware of this need and is pursuing a few good shooters , but we should expect the Wolverines to reach out to more.
There’s a lot to like about what Michigan has done in the portal so far, and if the Wolverines can add a few three-point shooters, it’s hard to find any major issues on the roster. No matter how the rest of the offseason goes, Michigan should be one of the favorites to win the Big Ten next season.