Michigan Basketball: 3 Breakout candidates for Wolverines in 2020-21

The grad transfer

There’s no question about it; the Big Ten is a much tougher conference than the Ivy League – which is where Mike Smith is transferring in from. Playing for Columbia, Michigan basketball’s grad transfer put up insane numbers (22.8 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds) in his final year in a Columbia uniform.

Can he replicate those numbers with better defenders around him?

He can and has done so since arriving at Columbia as a freshman.

Back in 2016, up against Seton Hall, Mike dropped 23 points. As a sophomore against Villanova, Smith scored 19 points.

Smith only appeared in a few court battles during his junior year, but as a senior, Mike really showed off with a career-high 38 points over Harvard, and he had a solid showing vs Virginia with 16 points.

Matt’s musings

Will Mike have the unmitigated green light he experienced as a Lion, or will Juwan want him to dish the ball a little bit more?

The answer is it shouldn’t matter. Smith has proved himself against stiffer competition and will do so again in the maize and blue. Expect high double-digit points-per-game (15-20) and closer to ten assists-per-game while in a Jumpman jersey with the accompanying – and well-deserved – selection on draft day.