Michigan Basketball: Shooting guard options for the 2019-20 season
David DeJulius/Eli Brooks
It felt appropriate to keep both David DeJulius and Eli Brooks in the same conversation when discussing who Poole’s replacement should be.
Starting either DeJulius or Brooks would give Michigan two ball-handlers (alongside Simpson), however, would give Michigan basketball a size disadvantage against nearly any opponent they would go up against, especially in the Big Ten.
Not to mention, due to Howard’s defensive background, it seems unlikely that he would want to place two small guards starting on the same court, as it was also rare during his tenure with the Heat, even at times the Heat would start Justise Winslow at point guard.
Despite this, due to the lack of depth at the shooting guard position and with Nunez’s little experience, DeJulius and Brooks are in play for the gig.
It has been a rollercoaster ride for Brooks, as he will be entering his junior season at Michigan this fall.
In his freshman season, reeling from the graduation of Derrick Walton Jr., Brooks found himself in a battle with Zavier Simpson and Jaaron Simmons for the starting point guard spot and managed to start a total of 12 games. Yet, once Simpson finally won the job, Brooks was buried into the rotation in favor of Simmons taking the backup spot.
Things shifted into the right direction early into his sophomore season, as Brooks was a key contributor off the bench during the first half of Michigan’s 18-game winning streak, highlighted by his 40% from behind the arc. Once again, Brooks struggled for the rest of the year after his strong start, at one point, going 16 consecutive games without eclipsing 2 points. Yet, Beilein continued to trust Brooks, providing small increments of playing time while Simpson would catch his breath.
Brooks will need to regain his confidence from the beginning of the year and it is crucial that he finds consistency within his game, and with DeJulius breathing down his neck, this will be a make-or-break year for the Pennsylvania native.
On the other hand, David DeJulius will also be pushing for more minutes in his second season.
The former 4-star recruit out of Detroit showed some flashes in his freshman season, despite only averaging 3.8 minutes and appearing in 25 games.
While DeJulius may have shown at times that he could become the point guard of the future with his ability to create his own shot whether it’s driving to the basket and getting to the line, it was rather disappointing that he was unable to win the backup role behind Simpson and steal some minutes away from Brooks.
Hopefully, he will be able to make significant strides and earn some more time on the floor and possibly play alongside Simpson.