Michigan Basketball: Adrien Nunez is staying, can he copy Austin Davis?
It was reported Thursday that Adrien Nunez will be returning to Michigan basketball next season, which makes you wonder what his role will be?
One of the most frequent topics covered about the Michigan basketball team is the Wolverines scholarship numbers heading into next season.
That’s because if Michigan basketball is able to land a commitment from Joshua Christopher, as well as sign five-star commit Isaiah Todd, the Wolverines would be two scholarships over the limit.
Right now, Michigan is just one over the limit and there is always the possibility that Jace Howard could convert into a walk-on during his freshman season. Jace has said he’s coming on scholarship, but if it comes down to it, he might sacrifice for a year.
But if Christopher committed and signed, Michigan basketball would need two scholarships and one possibility was thought to be second-year guard Adrien Nunez.
Nunez is a former three-star recruit that was part of the Wolverines 2018 class. He saw action in a few games as a freshman and opened 2019-20 as a starter, but quickly moved to the end of the bench because he simply wasn’t productive.
Brendan Quinn of the Athletic was the first to report on Twitter, that Nunez, according to his mom, would be back with Michigan basketball next season.
An update to this story. You can scratch Adrien Nunez off the list of potential transfer candidates. He'll be back at Michigan in 2020-21, according to his mother. https://t.co/0rQ28H7yyf
— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 27, 2020
The 6-foot-5 guard is known for his ability to shoot and some hoped he could turn into a solid two-guard for the Wolverines. He started four games this season but wound up playing in just 22 total. He averaged two points per game and was 11-of-43 from 3-point range, which equates to 25 percent from beyond the arc.
Obviously, Nunez wasn’t as prepared to contribute this season as head coach Juwan Howard believed at the start of the year. But, that doesn’t mean we should count him out going forward.
Why? It’s easy because that’s exactly what everyone did with Austin Davis and look how that turned out.
Just as with Davis, who is also returning next year after many speculated he could leave as a graduate transfer, Nunez may just need more time to develop. He needs to get stronger and he has to get more confident, but make no mistake, the kid can shoot the ball.
The problem for Nunez is that he’s going to have to work very hard, just as Davis did, to earn a niche role on the team in the next year or two. Even if Christopher doesn’t come, Michigan basketball has David DeJulius, Franz Wagner, Eli Brooks, Cole Bajema and Zeb Jackson that he would need to compete against.
Still, the Wolverines don’t have many natural two guards and Nunez is one of them. If he could be more effective shooting, he could be a spark off the bench just like Davis, especially if the roster doesn’t work out exactly as Michigan basketball hopes.
While there are still guys who could seek to transfer, maybe Colin Castleton or Bajmea, even Brooks or DeJulius. Another possibility is Isaiah Livers or Wagner going to the NBA. At this point, there are many unknowns.
Next. Projecting the Wolverines 2020-21 starting lineup. dark
One thing we do know is that Nunez will be a Michigan basketball player in 2020-21.