Michigan Basketball: Starting lineup predictions for season opener

Shooting guard: Eli Brooks

I’m confident that Brooks will be in the starting lineup one way or another next week against Bowling Green, it’s just a matter of at point guard or shooting guard.

Some might be wondering why Brown isn’t starting here and that was obvious a big conflict when putting this lineup together. But at the end of the day, Brown might be best utilized coming off the bench and even if he doesn’t start, he will still play among the highest minutes on the team.

If Brooks is the point guard, that puts an onus on guys like Franz Wagner and Isaiah Livers to create more of the offense. We’ll likely see both used more in ball-screen situations, but especially Wagner who could make a Nik Stauskas like jump back in 2014.

Brooks can defend the two and is very good playing off the ball, whereas Smith is the most natural ball handler on the team. Plus, if you start Brooks at point guard and Brown at the two, then the next wing off the bench is Adrien Nunez or someone like Jackson who can play off the ball too.

Going back to the 2018 national title run, Duncan Robinson came off the bench and even though he didn’t start, he finished games and that’s what I expect Brown to do.