Michigan Basketball: 5 takeaways from Wolverines 7-0 start

Terrance Williams is emerging

There is a position battle for Michigan basketball that not many people are talking about. Brandon Johns and true freshman Terrance Williams are both power forwards that are capable of playing that small ball center position as well.

Their roles have changed slightly since the Austin Davis injury but they are still battling each other for minutes.

There have been multiple games this season where Juwan Howard has called on Williams to play key minutes in important situations while he left Johns on the bench. In the last game against Nebraska, Williams saw 9 minutes off the bench while Brandon Johns only saw 6.

It feels like Johns’ role on this basketball team is starting to diminish and I think that’s partly due to the emergence of Williams. It seems like Juwan likes the energy that Williams brings and is starting to trust him more.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the minutes are split between these two players as the season goes on. Michigan has so many guys that can play multiple positions so that creates a situation where not as many guys need to play.

For example, Brown can come in off the bench and give Brooks, Smith, or Franz a rest. This allows Michigan to play less guys and have more consistent rotations. This makes a guy like Brandon Johns have a diminished role especially if Williams is starting to take some of his minutes away.

As we sit right now seven games into this Michigan basketball season, it appears to me that by season’s end, Williams will be playing most of the backup PF/small ball center minutes.

But don’t count out Johns yet. We have seen that when he plays with confidence, he can be a dynamic player.

Watching this position battle play out will be fun as the season goes on.