Offense: A
Whether it’s Kenpom or basically any other metric, Michigan basketball has been dominant offensively this season. Kenpom ranks the Wolverines eighth in adjusted offensive efficiency, which is the second-best number in the Big Ten behind only Iowa.
Michigan is averaging 1.13 points per possession, which also ranks 13th in the nation and is a better indicator than the overall points per game average of 79.7 which is 41st in the NCAA.
While Michigan’s national rankings are impressive as in 12th nationally in 2-point percentage, 42nd nationally in 3-point percentage and 22nd in free-throw percentage, the Wolverines numbers are even better in the Big Ten.
With Hunter Dickinson proving to be a dominant force inside, along with a number of talented 3-point shooters on the wing and the elite ability of Franz Wagner, this offense has been unstoppable.
Dickinson is making 70 percent of his 2-point attempts and Wagner, who has gotten better and better as the year has gone on, is making 59 percent. The hard truth is that not a single rotation player, with the exception of 5-foot-11 point guard Mike Smith, is shooting under 50 percent on 2-pointers and even Smith is at 46 percent and shooting 47 percent from three.
Even though Dickinson’s dominance has slowed in the last few Big Ten games, his presence and ability to create shots for others by moving the ball out of double teams has been exceptional.
We also can’t forget Isaiah Livers, who has scored at least 20 in back-to-back games, which earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He’s also shooting a ridiculous 44 percent from 3-point range and averages 2.4 makes a night from beyond the arc.
The offense isn’t perfect and does lead the Big Ten in turnovers, something that’s a departure from previous teams under John Beilein. But backcourt depth is a little thin and outside of Eli Brooks and Smith, there really isn’t another ball-dominant guard outside of Zeb Jackson, a freshman that isn’t quite ready.
The grade is obvious but the fact that Michigan leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (49.8), 2-point percentage (55.6) free-throw percentage (77.9) and is second is 3-point percentage (39.0) is really the only justification that’s needed.
And when you really dig into the numbers, you start to understand just how good this team has been on the offensive end of the floor.