Michigan Basketball: Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman is ready to breakout
There is a lot of focus on some of the new players that will play for Michigan basketball next season, but one returner, could play just as big a role.
Michigan basketball fans are excited about the return of Moe Wagner and they should be. But another player fans should be hyped about is Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman.
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In the coming months, there will be plenty of talk about Wagner, about Jaaron Simmons and Charles Matthews, even Duncan Robinson, but Rahkman is another worst conversing about.
Over the past three seasons, his contributions for Michigan basketball have grown. As a freshman, he played 19.1 minutes and scored 4.5 points per game. He shot 29 percent from 3-point range.
Then, in 2015-16, he saw 27.8 minutes per game and scored 8.6 PPG. He also averaged 1.7 assists and made 36 percent of his shots from deep. And last season, he scored 9.1 PPG, 1.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds. He also shot 39 percent from beyond the arc, all career-best numbers.
Considering, Michigan basketball was loaded last year, with possibly 4-5 NBA players, when it’s all said and done, that’s pretty impressive. Rahkman wasn’t Derrick Walton Jr., or anything, but he played significant minutes and made significant contributions on two NCAA-tournament teams.
Now, the 6-4 guard, who will be a senior next season, should be ready to take on a much larger role. Obviously, Michigan basketball has Simmons to play the point, but Rahkman should also have the ball in his hands plenty.
Michigan Wolverines Basketball
MAAR has always been great at getting to the basket. He excels at it and with a higher-shot volume this season, he could easily raise his scoring average well into double digits.
It’s true that Simmons could score in the same range. He is also great at getting to the basket and playing in the pick-and-roll. That’s something MAAR could use work on, but he should still get plenty of chances to create with the ball in his hands.
In today’s college basketball, the best teams are one that have high-end NBA talent, as well as some very good role players. And while I don’t want to call Rahkman a role player, I don’t see him having much future in the association.
However, that doesn’t mean he can’t have a breakout season next year. Walton and Zak Irvin, were Michigan’s two high-volume shooters. They both averaged more than 10 shots per game.
With them gone, along with the departure of D.J. Wilson, 30 shots per game must be replaced. Certainly, Simmons, Matthews and Robinson, as well as Wagner will help. But Rahkman is another guy that needs to be more involved and if he gets the opportunity, he will make an even bigger impact.
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Right now, MAAR is a bit forgotten. But when the Michigan basketball season rolls around, mark my words, we will all be glad he’s back.