Michigan Basketball: Ranking the top 10 Wolverines since 2010

#4: Derrick Walton Jr.

Derrick Walton Jr. had a fantastic career for Michigan basketball and really carried on the legacy of good point guard play. Darius Morris, Trey Burke, Derrick Walton Jr., and Xavier Simpson is a pretty special run of point guards.

Walton Jr. was a true four year starter and you just don’t see that too much from the point guard spot. He was also asked to fill the shoes of Michigan legend Trey Burke which was certainly no easy task. But Walton Jr. was up for the challenge and shined from day one.

Walton Jr. played the best basketball of his career in the second half of his senior season. To this day, I still think about how elite he was during that stretch. It was Trey Burke level stuff.

Over the course of his four year career, he averaged 11.6 PPG and dished out four assists per game. He was a team captain, made a Sweet 16, Elite Eight, won a Big Ten Championship, and always represented Michigan with class.

He’s the style of point guard Michigan basketball fans want to see in Ann Arbor again. Walton Jr. now plays in the NBA and has bounced from team to team and league to league. His toughness, leadership and scoring ability will allow him to play professional basketball for the foreseeable future even if that means somewhere other than the NBA.

I talked about how special he was during that second half of his senior season. His 26 point game against Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament is a perfect example of that. If you need a refresher on how good he was during that stretch, here’s highlights of that game.