Michigan Basketball: Youssef Khayat decision could drop anytime

Michigan basketball could finalize its 2022-23 roster this season if Youssef Khayat commits to the Wolverines this weekend. 

It’s funny when people doubt Juwan Howard. The Michigan basketball coach always seems to have a few secrets up his sleeve and one of them was Youssef Khayat.

While we were all speculating about Emoni Bates and some of the other potential transfers available, Juwan was scouting and planning his next move.

The pursuit of Khayat, who was playing professionally in France and is from Lebanon, was a secretive one, not unlike the recruitment of Moussa Diabate who up and announced his commitment to Michigan basketball seemingly out of nowhere.

Of course, Diabate just got selected in the 2022 NBA draft (43rd overall), and he joined fellow former five-star Caleb Houstan in getting picked on Thursday night.

The Wolverines found their replacement for Houstan in Duke’s Joey Baker, or at least, Michigan found a sharpshooter to replace Houstan who shot 39 percent from beyond the arc in Big Ten play (Baker is a 38 percent career 3-point shooter).

Now, Michigan could use a versatile forward and Khayat who is in the 6-foot-9 range would be an ideal fit. He would solve some of the Wolverines’ defensive issues and he’s also a guy who can score the ball in multiple ways, including from the 3-point line.

Here’s what Chris Balas of The Wolverine wrote about Khayat earlier this week:

"“Lebanese wing Youssef Khayat, who has played in France, is down to four schools. Michigan, Xavier, Wake Forest, and DePaul are his finalists, but U-M and Xavier are thought to be the main contenders here. He’s expected to make a final decision as early as Sunday.”"

And here’s a peek at his scouting report from Eurohoops.net and what the talented forward could bring to Michigan basketball as long as the Wolverines are able to beat out Xavier, its main competition, for his commitment.

"“Offensively, Youssef can’t be considered a shot creator at this point. Instead, he scores the majority of his points by running hard in the open court and cutting with great intensity and timing. He displays constant motion off the ball and good reads when taking advantage of defensive mistakes. He also showcased an improved and refined finishing package in the paint, flashing a promising floater.  Moreover, Khayat has tremendous defensive upside thanks to his motor, willingness to sit in a stance, lateral movements and instincts. He projects as someone who could potentially guard both forwards positions at the high major D-1 level and switch onto guards out on the perimeter. He’s not afraid of diving for loose balls and regularly makes winning plays.”"

Khayat would be part of the 2022 recruiting class and sounds like a guy capable of stepping in as Michigan’s four next season or at least seriously competing for the job.

And his defensive prowess to me is almost as exciting as what he can do offensively, because, with Hunter Dickinson, Michigan will score points. But stopping teams is also going to be a concern and Khayat would be a huge addition because of the two-way impact he could have.