Michigan Basketball: Predicting the Wolverines 2020-21 starting lineup

Center

Starter: Isaiah Todd

Backups: Hunter Dickinson, Austin Davis

Isaiah Todd was the first Howard recruit, and he remains on top of the board for the time being. And even if he’s surpassed if Christopher and Brown commit, it will be just slightly according to the rankings. Todd is 13th overall, Christopher is 10th, and Brown is 9th, and that’s not in their state; as mentioned before, those are national rankings. Let that soak in for a minute.

Standing at 6-foot-10, Todd and Brown – who stands at 6-foot-9 – are interchangeable at Center, and none of this matters because Howard believes in positionless basketball.

Another newcomer will backup an incoming freshman at center, as the 7-foot-2 Hunter Dickinson – who’s No. 32 nationally – will be a viable replacement for Teske, and he will be a necessity for Juwan when he’s in need of a taller lineup.

Finally, Austin ‘Big County’ Davis rounds out the final spot. As a traditional big man, many wrote him off as unable to produce in a modern era. Howard, however, felt differently. For four straight contests, Davis has provided double-digit minutes and is producing starter level results.

Matt’s musings

Instead of having to scroll through each of the five slides, below is a list of the starter and two backups:

DDJ/Jackson/Wade

Christopher/Brooks/Bajema

Wagner/Williams/Howard

Brown/Johns Jr./Davis

Todd/Dickinson/Davis

Just for fun, here is a list of starters if Livers sticks around and Brown and Christopher go elsewhere:

DDJ/Jackson/Wade

Wagner/Brooks/Nunez

Livers/Williams/Bajema

Todd/Johns Jr./Castleton

Dickinson/Davis/Castleton