Michigan basketball’s roster for the upcoming season is finally complete, with the official roster being released yesterday. So today, it’s time to make an early starting lineup and depth chart prediction.
After an offseason with plenty of twists and turns, the Michigan men’s basketball program has hired a new head coach, has its staff in place, and has its roster set for the 2024-25 season .
This team features three returning players to go along with six transfer portal players and three true freshmen. With all the new faces on this roster, it’s almost impossible to accurately predict what the starting lineup and rotation will be, but we’re going to give it our best try with the information we have.
Practices have started , but until we see this group play together, let’s use our limited information to predict Michigan’s starting lineup and rotation.
Starting Lineup Prediction
G Tre Donaldson
G Rubin Jones
G Roddy Gayle Jr.
F Will Tschetter
C Vlad Goldin
New head coach Dusty May told the media in a press conference earlier this year he’s hoping to have two point guards on the floor at all times, “so it’s more difficult for the defense to take away the head of the snake.”
With that quote in mind, it would make sense for Donaldson and Jones to both start. Donaldson proved to be a valuable shot-creator at Auburn , and Jones brings tons of experience and excellent on-ball defense . Jones is the type of experienced guard every team could use, so he seems like one of the locks to start looking at this roster on paper.
I’d also consider Gayle and Goldin to be locks. Gayle is one of the best scorers on the roster who gets downhill on drives and facilitates well, while Goldin was one of Florida Atlantic’s leading scorers = who can protect the rim and be a key part of ball screen sets .
That leaves one starting spot remaining, and with the limited info we have now, I’m going to give that spot to Will Tschetter . He shot three-pointers well last season, he pairs well alongside Goldin in the frontcourt, and he’s one of the more experienced guys on the roster. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Sam Walters or Danny Wolf starts in this spot instead.
First guys off the bench
G Nimari Burnett
F Sam Walters
C Danny Wolf
Burnett started at the 2 for Michigan last season, but with all the new experienced guards on the roster, I could see him moving to the bench. Being one of the first players off the bench who can impact a game instantly if he shoots the ball well could be the best role for him. The same goes for Walters, who helps Michigan stretch the floor and provides length at one of the forward spots.
May and Michigan’s assistants did hint Goldin and Wolf could share the floor for stretches, but that pairing both being in the starting lineup seems unlikely. With Goldin as the starting center, I could see Wolf serving as the backup center who can earn more minutes if he makes his shots. In the second unit, he also has more of a chance to be a lead creator , which is a good thing for his long-term growth.
Wild cards
G L.J. Cason
G Justin Pippen
G Durral Brooks
G/F Jace Howard
The roles of the three freshmen are even harder to project this far out, given we haven’t seen any of them play college basketball yet. May did mention, “we’re a little thin at guard depth, and those guys are going to have a chance to break into the rotation.”
May said Cason is the most like a lead guard out of the three freshmen, so if any guy were to crack the rotation, I’d predict it’s him. Meanwhile, Pippen provides depth and upside , and Brooks could provide good defensive minutes. With all three guards being freshmen, I doubt they all play, but I bet at least one of them works their way into the rotation.
Howard is a bit of a wild card, but he is expected to factor into Michigan’s plans . I could see him getting some spot minutes as a versatile defender if the team gets in foul trouble, but with how talented this group is on paper, I’d be surprised if he plays more than 5-10 minutes per game.
Who do you want to see in the starting lineup? Let us know in the comments.