Michigan Basketball: Breaking down Chaundee Brown’s departure

Michigan basketball lost its second senior in only a few days when Chaundee Brown declared for the NBA Draft on Saturday night. Where will the Wolverines look next?

It was May 19th of last year when Chaundee Brown committed to Juwan Howard and the Michigan basketball team.

Howard had just added his second transfer of the offseason, and many were skeptical of how it would play out. A video surfaced in late October of Howard announcing to the team that Brown would be eligible for the 2020-2021 season and the team reacted as if someone had just hit a buzzer-beater.

Looking back, it’s easy to see why the team reacted as such. Brown quickly became a fan favorite because of his contagious energy, and the effort he gave on the court. Brown averaged eight points per game along with just over three rebounds and shot nearly 50 percent from the field in his only season at Michigan.

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Much like fellow departee Mike Smith, Brown, who averaged greater than 11 points per game in his sophomore and junior seasons, didn’t try to do too much unless the team needed him to.

For example, Brown took over in a second-round matchup with LSU, putting up 21 points in a game that was closer than Michigan basketball fans may have hoped.

One area of his game which greatly improved was his 3-point shooting.  Prior to his one season at Michigan, Brown had never shot higher than 35 percent from deep. Crisler Center proved to be a shooter-friendly arena for Brown, as he improved his 3-point shooting percentage by nearly 10 points from his junior to senior seasons.

This may have been the biggest factor in Brown’s decision to go pro, as his most likely role for an NBA team would be a three-and-D guy off the bench.

Brown isn’t projected to be taken in any mock drafts, but would most likely be signed to a G-League squad in hopes of working his way up to an NBA roster.

What it means for Michigan basketball

With Smith and Brown now gone as NBA hopefuls, it’s time to now look ahead to Michigan’s backcourt depth for the 2021-2022 season.

The Wolverines will be pushing hard for Eli Brooks to return to the team for his fifth year, but Coach Howard will be left asking himself the same question that has been asked before: Is Eli Brooks a true point guard?

I believe the answer to that question is no, and I believe Howard would agree.

Brooks would anchor down the two, and sophomore Zeb Jackson and freshman Frankie Collins would be assumed to battle it out for the starting point guard role.

However, it will be interesting to see if Howard and the staff take a look elsewhere for a point guard if they don’t feel comfortable with Jackson or Collins.

Howard went to the transfer portal last season for a point guard, and I think most Michigan fans would agree that it worked out pretty well. Should the staff once again look to the portal for a point guard, Adam Miller (Illinois), and Jacob Young (Rutgers) are a few names that have been floating around as potential replacements for Smith.

Young has announced that he will potentially enter the NBA Draft, but it will be interesting to see if Howard makes a push to bring him to Ann Arbor.

Assuming Isaiah Livers, Franz Wagner, and Eli Brooks all make their assumed decisions, Austin Davis would be the only remaining Wolverine with a decision.

Many sources have stated that Davis’ decision is just about as 50/50 as possible, meaning his return is just as likely as his departure. Should Davis return, he would serve as the backup to Hunter Dickinson in what would be his sixth season in Ann Arbor.  Should he depart, it would provide the program with a tough situation as the Wolverines don’t bring in a true big man in the 2021 recruiting class.

Would Howard and the staff look to the portal for a backup big man as well?  A lot of these questions will be answered in the coming weeks as some of Michigan basketball’s key players make big decisions.