Michigan Basketball: 5 ways Wolverines can improve from within

Zavier Simpson needs to score more

Maybe the best thing the Wolverines have going for them, outside of John Beilein, is having Zavier Simpson as their point guard.

Yes, Michigan State has Cassius Winston and that’s huge but outside of him, there isn’t a point guard in the Big Ten better than Simpson and the truth is, there are few better in the entire country.

Simpson is great at what he does, which is play defense, run the offense and distribute the ball. He did improve as a scorer last season, bumping up his average to nearly nine points a game while also hitting 30.8 percent from 3-point range. He also made a huge leap in assists from his sophomore to junior seasons, going from 3.8 to 6.6.

That made a big impact on the offense and next season, he will need to make an increase like that with his scoring average. Obviously, Simpson is never going to be an elite scorer, but he’s talented and savvy enough to average double figures.

The pick-and-roll offense with Simpson and Teske will be a focal point next season and just like he developed that beautiful hook shot last season, Simpson will need to develop his mid-range game and also try to improve his 3-point shot.

If Simson started making more shots, it would be a nightmare for opposing defenses. He is great at creating and even finishing around the basket, but unless UM adds a dynamic scoring guard, he will have to score more next season and knowing him, he will.