Michigan Basketball: 5 bold predictions for the 2020-21 season

#2: Hunter Dickinson wins Big Ten Freshman of the Year

True freshman Hunter Dickinson is going to start at center for Michigan basketball this season. There’s no doubt about that in my opinion. Austin Davis was brought back for depth and to help develop Dickinson.

Dickinson was one of the most polished big men in the 2020 recruiting class. The slight lack of athleticism hurt his high school ranking a bit, but it wont hurt him as far as making an immediate impact at Michigan.

Last season, Illinois freshman center Kofi Cockburn won Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He averaged 13.3 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game. I can see Dickinson putting up similar numbers this season for Michigan.

Right now, I’d predict him to be right around that 11 points and 7 rebounds per game mark but if he’s better than advertised and finds a bigger role in this offense, those numbers could be higher.

Dickinson has the game to come in and contribute right away. He’s not as raw as a lot of freshman big men. His strength is his fundamentals, footwork and hustle. We know Juwan likes to get the center involved and I believe Dickinson’s style fits his offense much better than Teske’s did.

While he will not come close to reaching his potential this season for Michigan, I still expect Hunter Dickinson to have a very good freshman season.