Top 5 transfer portal options left for Michigan Basketball
Emoni Bates
Emoni Bates has been a hot topic of conversation for Michigan basketball fans this offseason. So far though, there hasn’t been any indication of the Wolverines being seriously interested.
Bates included Michigan in his top five (transfer options) and that was before the Wolverines offered him (they still haven’t). That tells you that Ann Arbor is a place he would like to be and now that Diabate and Houstan are staying in the draft, you wonder if the staff will re-visit it?
If Michigan’s potential draft picks returned, Bates really wouldn’t be needed especially since he’s a 3/4 which is what Houstan and Diabate play. Houstan would have been the starting 4 next season if he came back and Diabate didn’t.
So Bates would have been redundant. Adding a defensive guard/wing like Terrence Shannon would have made more sense. And if there was a player out there like that now, that Michigan basketball could add, I’d be all for it.
But another Shannon isn’t out there. Bates is though and he’s a rising sophomore, so there wouldn’t be an issue with transfers. I get all the noise surrounding his camp but Juwan Howard is tight with the family and he would garner a certain amount of respect.
Plus, with Hunter Dickinson, Terrence Williams, and Jett Howard, plus Jace and others, I don’t see Emoni being an issue. The role for him would be perfect. The Wolverines need another NBA-level talent who can create his own shot and be reliable from 3-point range.
Bates took too many 3-pointers for Memphis (4.2 per game in 22 minutes) but he made 1.4 treys per game and shot 32 percent. Think about the looks he would get playing alongside Dickinson, plus with some coaching and just the result of being on a better team, he should get higher-percentage looks at 3 with better shot selection.
Defense is a question as his defensive rating was 103 per 100 possessions last season but he’s long, athletic and he can certainly rebound. He averaged 3.3 last season in addition to 1.3 assists, as well as a half a steal/block per game.
Heck, even if Michigan took Baker, it could still pursue Bates.
Baker and Bates could replace Diabate/Houstan and for being this late in the process, that wouldn’t be a bad trade-off for the Wolverines. Michigan would be adding two 3-point shooters and another guy with NBA potential.
It could be a disaster but I don’t see Juwan allowing that to happen and if the Bates addition worked out, the sky would be the limit.