Michigan basketball: Updated starting five projections (for right now)

What Michigan basketball’s starting five could look like next season, at least based on what’s currently on the roster. 

Now that the dust has finally settled and we know what the decisions of Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate were, we can finally start to look ahead to the roster and figure out a sense of a starting five and possible rotations for Michigan basketball.

Just like last year, this year’s team will bring a lot of new faces onto the roster, from some new faces starting on offense, to new faces rounding out the rotation.

Gone are Eli Brooks, Caleb, Moussa, DeVante Jones, and Frankie Collins. That is five of the seven leading scorers from last year’s Sweet 16 squad gone.

Now that Juwan Howard is the coach, I guess we should sort of start to expect more roster turnover than maybe under John Beilein.

Every top-flight college basketball program deals with roster turnover, and Michigan’s is no different. With the way the transfer portal is right now, Michigan getting elite recruits, and the NIL going crazy, roster turnover is bound to be pretty much a yearly thing for the Wolverines.

Obviously, the goal would be to run it back as many times as possible with basically the same guys, for familiarity, etc, but that’s not really realistic, and it is okay to admit it.

With all of that being said, here is my projected starting five for Michigan basketball next season:

Projected starting five for Michigan basketball

PG: Jaelin Llewellyn

SG: Kobe Bufkin

SF: Jett Howard 

PF: Terrance Williams II

C: Hunter Dickinson

Sixth Man: Tarris Reed

Just like last year, as I mentioned, there will be quite a few new faces in the starting five and coming off the bench.

Jaelin Llewellyn is a transfer from Princeton, as he averaged14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, and he shot 38.6% from the three last year. I also expect Dug McDaniel to push for some backup minutes to spell Jaelin at various times.

He should be pretty much locked into the starting ‘1’ spot. We’ll see how long it takes for Jaelin to get accustomed to playing against better competition, as hopefully, it isn’t quite as long as it took DeVante, and hopefully, the defense is better with fewer fouls.

Next, is the shooting guard spot or the ‘2’, which, as I listed in the projection, will probably go to Kobe Bufkin. This is arguably the most important spot because Llewellyn will need someone to take pressure off him.

Michigan basketball was really spoiled by having Eli Brooks all of those years to spell Michigan at various points during his career, but now he is gone, and Michigan needs production from the SG spot.

Juwan should add an addition from the portal to at least push Kobe, as this will potentially be Bufkin’s first time starting, and he will need to prove his second-year leap.

Missing on Terrence Shannon still stings, but Kobe has the tools to be a very good Big Ten SG.

Next is the SF position, or ‘3’ where Jett Howard figures to slot into the starting five, unless Michigan basketball could get a transfer from the portal.

I personally doubt it’s Emoni Bates, but there are some other options out there in case Juwan wants to ease his son Jett into the rotation without the pressure of starting right away.

At the PF position or ‘4’, there are a lot of options, as Michigan could run with Jace Howard, Tarris Reed, Terrance Williams II, or a guy like Will Tschetter, etc.

Ultimately, I’m going with Terrance “Junkyard Dog” Williams, just because he’s experienced enough to step into the starting role, he always gives his 100% effort, and he can play defense.

This is an interesting position because Tarris Reed can play the ‘4’ as well, so having that versatility will bode well for Michigan’s depth.

Adding an extra body to the group from the portal at the ‘4’ wouldn’t be the worst idea, as then it would allow Tarris to get more minutes at the ‘5’ behind Dickinson.

Lastly, we have the ‘5’, the center, which is obviously All-American Hunter Dickinson, who else? The team still runs through Hunter, and Michigan’s ceiling was raised when he decided to come back, so that position is all set.

I’d still like to see Hunter get better on defense,  fight through ball screens, and keep showing the range, but, this is the least worrisome position.

We’ll see what Juwan wants to do, but Tarris Reed might get the majority of backup center minutes, with some playing time at the ‘4’ like how Juwan used Moussa and Dickinson on the court at the same time last year.

Overview

Overall, Michigan’s team will be a lot younger this year, with four new starters on offense projected.

It would be wise for Michigan basketball to add at least depth at the ‘2’ and ‘3’ spots, as those spots and production will likely determine Michigan’s ceiling, but, as of today, without any more transfer additions, this is a top-3-4 Big Ten team, ranked in the top 15-20 in the country.

I think Michigan will battle Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, and possibly Wisconsin for Big Ten supremacy this year.

I personally think Michigan relying on too many new faces at once is a recipe for disaster again, but time will tell with this group.

Michigan fans, what is your projected starting five? Sound off in the comments below!