Michigan Basketball: More reasons to be excited about Caleb Houstan

Michigan basketball’s Caleb Houstan is known as a 3-point shooter. What happens when his shot isn’t falling? Can he still be effective? Most definitely.

Before Caleb Houstan even arrived on campus, he was already beloved by Michigan basketball fans. He has a reputation for being a deadly three-point shooter, with a high motor, and has a serious clutch factor.

This all bodes well for U-M. If Caleb Houstan can just play his role, he will be an elite forward in the Big Ten and a consensus lottery pick in the next NBA Draft (he already is if we’re being honest).

What Houstan did in the FIBA U-19 games representing Canada should make Michigan fans even more excited though. Houstan definitely showed that he has untapped potential and I really see Juwan Howard unlocking even more of Caleb’s potential.

If anyone was watching Team Canada play in the FIBA U-19 games, they would have noticed right away that Houstan was the best player on that roster. But what they might not have realized is Caleb has vastly underrated parts of his game that should be exciting for U-M basketball fans.

I’m talking about Caleb’s decision-making and his ability to facilitate to his teammates.
Believe it or not, Houstan struggled to find his three-point shot for much of the FIBA tournament.

His efficiency wasn’t that great in all honesty. That is his bread and butter. Rather than keep harming his team by taking all of the shots, Caleb instead chose to attack the basket and facilitate to his teammates.

These decisions show an advanced veteran-like mentality that Houstan has about himself. He isn’t just going to be a ball hog and take all of the glory. No, Houstan wants to win at all costs.

If winning means he takes less shots, or scraps taking the three and sacrifices his body to attack the basket, then so be it. If Houstan is walled off from the rim by a rim-protector and some pesky guards, then he will fake attack to the rim and dish to his wide-open teammates.

That has to be the thing that Howard loves the most about Houstan. And it also has to have scouts drooling. That’s another box they can check off when scouting him. What does he do when his shot isn’t falling? Does he just stand around at the three-point line? Or does he try to affect the box score and help out his teammates in other ways?

Caleb Houstan can do it all

Caleb Houstan is a very unselfish player, who is willing to do the dirty work to get the job done and win the game. This all falls in line with the “team” mentality, which Howard continuously preaches.

While Caleb Houstan’s 3-point shot might be his calling card, Michigan basketball fans can’t forget that Houstan can do a lot of other tremendous things as well.

Houston does not have elite athleticism or a max vertical or anything, but he is 100% himself and U-M fans love him for that.

If Michigan basketball needs a player to take over and get a bucket, Houstan can do that. If it needs a player to knock down some threes to quiet the opposing crowd and swing momentum back to U-M, Houstan will do that.

If U-M needs Houstan to be more of a facilitator, Houstan can do that. If Michigan needs Houstan to defend at a high level and cause chaos for the opposing team, he can do that too.

He really can do it all. Houstan is like a third ball handler on the court. He can and will make plays if DeVante Jones and Eli Brooks are smothered on offense.

So, U-M fans. There will be games where Caleb Houstan’s shot is off just like we saw in the FIBA games.

Nobody in the world shoots perfect from three. But just remember that Houstan is capable of more than just knocking down threes. He is an all-around player that is not selfish and he will do anything to help the team win. Anything.