Michigan Basketball: How transfer Bryce Aiken could fit with Wolverines

Michigan basketball is one of the four schools still in the mix for graduate transfer Bryce Aiken of Harvard and here’s how he could potentially fit.

It might seem strange that Michigan basketball has been interested in so many graduate transfers when the Wolverines already appear to be up against it in terms of scholarships.

Of course, things  might have gotten a little easier with the news that Isaiah Livers was declaring for the NBA draft. There is a very real chance that he returns to Michigan basketball next season, but if not and Joshua Christopher committed and Isaiah Todd signs, the Wolverines would be one spot over the limit. Although, Christopher released a new top-5 that featured USC, a new team this week, so who knows.

There could be some other roster movement, but that almost makes the pursuit of Bryce Aiken a little curious. However, if Livers stays in the NBA and Christopher doesn’t join the Wolverines, Michigan basketball could definitely use a scorer like Aiken, especially someone who can shoot.

If Livers stays in the NBA draft and even if Christopher commits, Michigan will still need more perimeter shooting and that’s another reason why Aiken makes sense. The issue is there being enough room for him.

But Michigan basketball is definitely in the mix for the Harvard point guard, who released his top four Wednesday, a group that included the Wolverines, Seton Hall, Maryland and Iowa State according to Evan Daniels of 247 sports.

There are some very appealing things about Aiken, one of which is his 16.8 career points-per-game average. More important than that, he has made 2.1 3-pointers per game and is a 34.7 percent shooter from beyond the arc for his career.

While that seems like a good fit and it is, keep in mind that Eli Brooks also averaged 1.7 3-point makes last season and shot 36 percent from beyond the arc. He’s also a very good defender and was second on the team in assists.

The only way Aiken seems to make sense is if Christopher doesn’t end up with Michigan or someone else leaves, opening another spot. Otherwise, Aiken would be competing directly with Brooks and David DeJulius for playing time.

A backcourt that consisted of Christopher, Aiken, Brooks and DeJulius would be enticing. However, the numbers simply wouldn’t work out, not unless another couple of guys left via transfer.

Yet, if Livers stays in the draft and Christopher or Todd go elsewhere, Aiken could be a great option to add some scoring and most importantly, some 3-point shooting that would be lost if Livers didn’t come back.