Michigan Basketball: Takeaways and grades from win over UNLV

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 19: Brandon Johns Jr. #23, Frankie Collins #10, Terrance Williams II #5 and Kobe Bufkin #2 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrate on the bench near the end of their 74-61 victory over the UNLV Rebels during the Roman Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 19, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

DeVante Jones is still a work in progress

Mike Smith really was a perfect fit for Michigan basketball. He was a ball-screen heavy guard who was an excellent ball-handler. He could control the game but also was a good enough shooter when teams played under ball screens to make them pay.

DeVante Jones is still going to need to work on that. But he had some nice moments offensively and he’s the Wolverines’ best creator still in ball screens. He’s just a better passer in traffic right now than Eli Brooks and found teammates for a few open looks.

However, he also turned the ball over five times and is still undisciplined at times on defense. But he scored nine points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out eight assists. He made a couple of key floaters and also made a trey.

This was a better performance than the one he had the other night — fouls, turnovers and just being consistent remain his biggest issues. Jones isn’t Mike Smith and in some ways, he is better but he’s got to control the game more and cut out the simple mistakes.

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