Michigan Basketball: 4 takeaways from the Wolverines 2019-20 season

Juwan is a better in-game coach than expected

When Howard was hired as head coach, some thought it was risky. He didn’t have head-coaching experience and a number of people wondered how well he would do with the x’s and o’s.

Well, after one year, it’s safe to say Howard is a good coach and he’s a better in-game coach than I expected him to be. His strategy of limiting 3-point attempts worked really well for most of the year and despite some issues with big men inside during a stretch of Big Ten, the Wolverines rectified that and down the stretch were one of the best defensive teams in the country.

On the offensive end, the growth from players was obvious. Austin Davis took a massive step forward and turned into a reliable contributor. Jon Teske was solid, although he struggled near the end of the season.

Simpson upped his scoring average to 12 per game and Franz Wagner also grew in leaps and bounds as the season went on. That’s not all Howard, but he does get credit for the assistants he hired, which did a great job and how his position-less basketball ideas served the Wolverines well.

As a tactician, Howard isn’t John Beilein and he probably never will be. But he’s a really good coach and you can tell by some of the really good players he is getting or is about to get.