Michigan Basketball: Starting lineup predictions for season opener

Center: Austin Davis

Austin Davis played just over 10 minutes a game last season for Michigan basketball, but in his time on the floor, he was highly productive, scoring 4.9 points, grabbing 2.6 rebounds and shooting 69.3 percent from the field.

By the end of the season, Davis was a force in the low post and should be a really effective scorer in the post again in 2020-21. He’s also a solid rebounder and his back-to-the-basket post defense is solid.

The issue is the pick-and-roll defense, which he struggled with last year. Davis is sort of like Smith, he fills a very specific need of low-post scoring and rebounding, but his defensive limitations will force Howard to play him in a limited fashion.

Another caveat here is that Dickinson, eventually, should take over the starting center job. He’s probably not quite ready and Davis deserves the first crack, yet Dickinson looks like an early contributor and he will see heavy minutes early. If he plays well, he will assume the job.

But next week against Bowling Green, Davis is the safe bet to start, with Johns maybe also getting some run as a stretch five.