Why Tarris Reed is such a good fit for Michigan Basketball

Michigan basketball appears to be the favorite with 2022 big man Tarris Reed and here’s why he would be a good take for the Wolverines. 

Tarris Reed wasn’t always the top option for Michigan basketball at the center position in 2022. In fact, he might not be even now. However, Juwan Howard and the coaching staff have made him a clear priority and that’s a really smart thing to do.

Reed isn’t a five-star prospect. He’s not Jalen Duren, who left Michigan basketball out of his top five, or Dereck Lively, a five-star big man likely destined for Kentucky, but he’s a really solid prospect and one who will play in the Big Ten for multiple years.

Reed is ranked 71st overall in the 247 composite rankings for 2022 and the 6-foot-10, the 230-pound big man is ranked as the 14th-best center.

It’s clear that his official visit to Ann Arbor moved Michigan basketball up the list. Juwan Howard has also been personally involved throughout his recruitment according to 247 sports. He offered Reed after watching him play against Jett Howard and Juwan’s ability to develop bigs is a key asset according to Link Prep and MoKan Elite headman Rodney Perry.

"“That played a role (in moving Michigan up the list),” Perry said. “(Reed) obviously wants to go somewhere where they feature the bigs. He’s a little bit of a different type of player than Hunter because he has a different skill set than Hunter. Tarris can step out on the floor more than Hunter has done. Tarris can put the ball on the floor more than Hunter has done as well. Those bigs are hard to find.”"

While multiple reports have indicated that Michigan has made a move, Matt Em from mgoblog said that from what he’s gathered, the Wolverines are in the lead. Here’s what he wrote:

"“On my end, I received word from multiple sources over the weekend that the Wolverines may very well lead here. I would be close to putting in a low-confidence crystal ball at this point if I had the ability to do so.”"

This is similar to what Ant Wright, a former Michigan basketball player, tweeted last week, so there is definitely some smoke that the Wolverines are the frontrunner now.

Why Reed would be a good get

Michigan basketball obviously wanted Donovan Clingan and he would have been a really good fit. The 7-footer would have been a plug-and-play replacement for Hunter Dickinson with a very similar skill set.

Reed has different skills. But he would still be a really solid addition. He’s going to be a productive Big Ten big. He rebounds really well and as Dylan Burkhardt of UMHoops.com breaks down, he’s got some skill too.

Reed is also the kind of player who is going to stick around for a minimum of 2-3 years. He actually shoots the ball better than you think and his post-up game is pretty solid, although not nearly as advanced as Dickinson’s.

But if he had to play right away as a freshman, Michigan could do a lot worse. He’s not an elite shot-blocker like Lively, but he’s got a lot of solid attributes and he scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting in his first game at the Peach Jam Tuesday.

Just like Dug McDaniel, he’s a guy with the potential to be a multi-year starter and those are the kinds of players Michigan basketball is generally targeting. The five-star recruits are the cherry on top of a class but they aren’t the focal point of U-M’s recruiting.

Jett Howard should be the star of the class and there’s a good chance he’ll be a five-star when it’s all said and done. Then McDaniel and Reed would give Michigan solid, multi-year prospects at two key positions, with one spot left to fill heading into the fall and/or the late period in the spring.

It would be a good position to be in if the Wolverines land Reed, which is probably why Juwan took the time to attend both of his games last weekend. He’s a priority and with Juwan working hard to get him in the fold, you have to like Michigan’s chances.