21st Annual Abla Report
The 2019-2020 University of Michigan Men’s Basketball Team Scouting Report
Reviewed after game against Appalachian State on November 05, 2019.
By Tim Abla
0 David Dejulius (So.)
first guard off the bench…(left?) calf was wrapped…didn’t take as many shots as I expected…the few he took felt forced…like he felt the need to just shoot the ball…stocky and strong for a PG… when sharing the court with Brooks (not Zavier), Dejulius seemed to be the PG…feels like a guy who will go 7-8 from the floor one game, then 1-7 the next…started the second half instead of Nunez…missed his two FTs down the stretch…needs to hit those to earn floor time late in games…can create his own shot…but that part of his game is still developing…winner of the Max Bielfeldt Memorial Oversized Calves award…seemed to be wearing low-top shoes…had no turnovers, unlike most of the rest of the team…6 ppg
2 Isaiah Livers (Jr.)
starter…new jersey number…looked to be more aggressive with the ball…with mixed results…very athletic for a player of his size…offensive strength is corner 3-pt shot…matches up well defensively in multiple positions…will be a key player for the team this year…hard to believe is only a junior…needs to cut down on the turnovers…10 ppg
3 Zavier Simpson (Sr.)
starter…the team leader…struggled tonight…very sloppy with the ball…too many flashy passes…most of which ended up in App State’s hands or out of bounds…it’s like he sees a passing window the other guys don’t see and therefore aren’t ready for the pass…just needs to settle down…couldn’t drive the ball as much with Teske playing more down low…interesting headband fashion statement in the first half…didn’t go across the forehead, wore it more like a headband yarmulke…ditched it in the second half…struggled with his shot after improving it last year…barely touched the rim on at least one FT…will be fine, not worried about this performance…still a fantastic defender…it’s like his source of joy comes from smothering you defensively…has worked as hard as anyone to improve his game over his career…sat a while after picking up two early fouls…had a huge steal late in the game when the game was very close…was clearly working on left-handed touch near the rim during warmups…didn’t have the usual magic near the rim in this game…11 ppg
5 Adrien Nunez (So.)
starter…for now…struggled to make an impact on the game…good shooter…didn’t get many opportunities tonight…had one nice move, faking a three, quick dribble for a pull-up jumper…got beat defensively…needs to have quicker feet…starting position is in jeopardy when Wagner returns…could fall out of the rotation altogether when Franz is back…needs to hit 3-pt shots to earn playing time…sat quite a while despite being the starter…didn’t start the second half…missed his FTs (as did almost everyone)…not a great shot creator…more of a spot-up shooter…seemed to wear low-top shoes as well
11 Colin Castleton (So.)
main backup center…not at Teske’s level yet…not an offensive force by any means…great shot blocker…extremely long arms…can get tough rebounds…still looking for his offensive identity…offense struggled when he replaced Teske…has pretty quick feet…a little thicker than last year…can still get pushed around a little…but length helps him recover…FT motion seems a bit rushed…but he made his FTs unlike most teammates…got some time at the 4 with Teske…makes for some serious length down low when the two are on the floor together
14 Rico Ozuna-Harrison (Jr.)
Did Not Play/Will Not Play (DNP/WNP)
15 Jon Teske (Sr.)
starter…just plain huge…but not a plodder…surprisingly athletic for his size…on a floor with large men, he still stands out…even makes Juwan look small…started out the game en fuego in all phases of the game…hit some post-up shots…a 12-foot jumper…a 3-pt shot…had several rebounds and a block…all in the first two minutes…shot with both hands near the rim…was obviously working with Juwan on his post game this offseason…had something like 11 points and 6 rebounds in the first few minutes…so tough to shoot over…tough rebounder as well…is the team leader along with Simpson…looks like he’s ready to have a strong senior season…disappeared a little later in the game…App State was doing what they could to deny him the ball down low…good passing skills…one of those guys who is so big that he doesn’t get foul calls he deserves…guys can hit him without it affecting him…needs to improve his FT shooting…barely touched rim on one…still not a guy I want taking too many 3-pt shots…used his size effectively in the post game…showed a nice touch with both hands near the rim…wore his sleeve on his shooting arm, unlike most guys…13 ppg…maybe even 10 rebounds per game
21 Franz Wagner (Fr.)
DNP (injured)…the main guy I was hoping to evaluate in this year’s Abla Report…looks a bit thin…right hand was in a cast…guessing he’ll replace Nunez as a starter reasonably quickly…unless they want him to be a scorer off the bench…could be anything from team’s leading scorer to Just a Guy this year
22 Cole Bajema (Fr.)
DNP…guess is that he’ll redshirt
23 Brandon Johns Jr. (So.)
first guy off the bench tonight…leaves me feeling like he’s not at the top of his game yet…appears to have more potential than actual results so far…reasonably athletic for a bigger body…but not a pogo stick type…needed to put a couple of offensive rebounds right back up…rebounded the ball close to the rim then looked to pass for some reason…needs to go up strong…#1 guy I’m hoping Juwan can help reach his potential…6 ppg
24 C.J. Baird (Jr.)
DNP/WNP
32 Luke Wilson (Jr.)
DNP/WNP
44 Jaron Faulds (Jr.)
DNP/WNP
51 Austin Davis (Sr.)
DNP…my guess is will get inconsistent playing time at best…unless Johns struggles…in which case he could perhaps be a backup at the 4…a little surprised he didn’t transfer…a project for Juwan…too bad he’s already a senior though…will likely be needed in a few games where the main bigs are in foul trouble (or injuries)
55 Eli Brooks (Jr.)
starter…had the game of his Michigan career…validated what I saw during warmups…impressive in two ways before the game even started…first, it looked like he added several inches to his vertical leap…second, he probably drained 13 of 14 3-pt shots during warmups…never even touching rim….I’ve been hard on him his first two years…I was ready to declare him Most Improved Player just on warmups alone…showed a bit of improvement late last season…displayed a confidence I hadn’t seen before in this game…like things have finally clicked for him…shot looked great tonight…before and during the game…looks to be a major contributor this year…still a little dicey when dribbling in traffic…played a little PG, but not when Zavier or Dejulius were on the floor…perhaps the team’s strongest FT shooter…that’s not saying
a lot…left thumb appeared to be wrapped…made a couple of great defensive plays down the stretch when things got tight…took care of the ball pretty well…can he replicate this game?…12 ppg
Miscellaneous Team Notes
woohboy, this team could struggle at the FT line…but should be one of the strongest rebounding teams we’ve had recently…team was able to score at will for the first 25 minutes…then had a John Beilein Early Michigan Teams Memorial Scoring Drought during the last 15 minutes…got outscored at least 18-0 and 30-5 during one stretch(!)…made this a game when it shouldn’t have been…team needs to identify who can score when the team needs a bucket…not sure what the offensive identity is yet…other than there will be more of a post presence when Teske is in the game…too many turnovers tonight…will certainly average more turnovers than Beilein’s teams, but hopefully not this many…can go really big along the front line…especially when Teske and Castleton are both on the floor…you get by Teske only to run into Castleton? ouch…offense was definitely better when Teske was in…Castleton/Johns/Livers was also a big, athletic front line…defense was stellar last couple of years, still should be strong…I worry more about the offense than defense…still not many great shooters on this team
Other random thoughts
Jalen Rose and Jimmy King were there as well…shared about a three minute hug before the game…Jalen (my favorite Fab Five member) was wearing a G.O.A.T. jacket, not sure who that was referring to…officials wearing skin-tight shirts is a little weird…Jalen had a pretty good intro video before the game…the video before his video was pretty lame though
Coaching Notes
Juwan appeared to have a pretty calm demeanor…even when things got tight…Phil Martelli seemed to just give the occasional advice to Juwan and let Juwan coach during timeouts…except one timeout late when he looked to light a little spark in the team
Most important questions for the season
1) Who should have the ball in their hands late in the game?
Well, this could be a problem. If you need to hit a bucket who can you count on most? Who would you want on the line late in games? Not a clear winner this year. Livers is an option. Dejulius might be that guy some day but he doesn’t appear there yet. Is Brooks actually that guy? I think the best case scenario is that Wagner becomes someone you trust late in games, but this could definitely be an issue for the team.
2) What is the identity of this team?
I think the identity of this team will be its size, its ability to protect the rim, and its post game when Teske is on the floor. It’s not a plus shooting team (unless a combination of Wagner, Livers, and Brooks overachieves), it won’t lead the nation in fewest turnovers per game, and it’s not a run ‘n’ gun team either. Size seems to be where this team can create matchup problems, so that feels like the identity (after observing one game).
3) Biggest surprise?
Eli Brooks for sure. If he replicates anything close to this game consistently that will be a gift. He showed it in warmups and during the game, so hopefully it’s a thing and not just a flash in the pan.
4) Who’s in the rotation?
Simpson, Teske, Livers, Brooks, and Nunez started. Johns, Dejulius, and Castleton also got major minutes. Wagner will obviously get big minutes as well when he returns. 9 is a deep rotation, so my guess is Nunez will lose minutes when Wagner returns from injury, leaving the other 8 as your rotation.
Predictions
24-12 overall
8-3 in non-conference
13-7 in the Big Ten (plus 2 wins in the Big Ten tourney)
8 seed in the NCAA Tournament (with 1 tourney win)