Michigan Basketball: Panic about Isaiah Livers, not transfer of Cole Bajema

It stings for Michigan basketball to lose Cole Bajema to the transfer portal, but fans shouldn’t panic, that should be reserved for Isaiah Livers.

It was a little shocking to see that Cole Bajema was leaving Michigan basketball and putting his name into the transfer portal earlier this week.

Surprising mostly because it came so late in the process. But if you really think about it, it’s not that shocking and while some Michigan basketball fans are worried about losing his 3-point shooting or scholarship numbers, what they should be worried about is Isaiah Livers.

That’s the one and only offseason move that matters for next season. Yes, head coach Juwan Howard should explore the transfer market and certainly, the Wolverines have been doing that.

But some immediately-eligible transfer who is going to come in and provide 3-point shooting and defense at the two spot probably isn’t happening. At this point, Howard and the Wolverines are basically going with what they got, so it better include Livers.

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Not only was Livers Michigan’s top scorer at 12.9 points per game along with Zavier Simpson, but he was also the Wolverines’ most consistent perimeter shooter, knocking down 40.2 percent of his 3-point attempts on 4.9 3-point shots per game.

Livers’ ability to shoot from deep is exactly what gives him a chance to make it in the NBA and why he’d likely end up in the G-League even if he wasn’t drafted. He’s a 3/4 wing who can shoot the ball. We’ve seen guys make a living off that and Livers can too.

But if he came back to Michigan basketball, he could show he’s better than he’s being projected at right now by some of the experts who think he should return. And with Livers and Franz Wagner, Michigan has a chance to be a contender in the Big Ten.

Without Livers, there are even more questions. Brandon Johns is around he would start. Terrance Williams could play a role too as a promising freshman, so there are other pieces, but U-M already lacks shooting and losing Livers would put too much pressure on Wagner.

And when it comes to Bajema, his transfer isn’t a sign that the sky is falling. Far from it. Instead, a kid who simply isn’t ready to play can go somewhere closer to home, while getting an extra year to ready his body for Division I basketball. Despite his ability to shoot, Howard didn’t play him much last season, even over Adrien Nunez and that has to tell you something.

Additionally, Howard has been recruiting point guards, combo guards and wings like crazy in 2021, meaning if he secures a top-30 commit from a point guard or shooting guard, Bajema would have an even tougher time cracking the lineup.

To sum it up, whether it be this season or next, his path to starting for Michigan basketball was going to be a long and probably wasn’t in the cards. Now, it never hurts to have a shooter like Bajema off the bench, so it is a loss but his impact next season was going to be minimal.

It does means that Zeb Jackson will need to play a bigger role as a freshman, while Wagner will have to see more time at the two. But that was probably going to be the case anyway.

The loss of Bajema stings, but in terms of next season, it doesn’t really move the needle. The only person who can do that now is Livers, by returning instead of staying in the NBA draft.