Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways from additions of Caleb Love and Tray Jackson
Michigan basketball added two players from the transfer portal on Friday including former North Carolina guard Caleb Love. Here are three takeaways.
There is still a lot to learn about the 2023-24 Michigan basketball team, but on Friday, we found out who the leading scorer for the Wolverines is likely to be.
That’s because Michigan basketball was able to land the commitment of Caleb Love, one of the top-ranked players in the transfer portal.
Love was instrumental in North Carolina’s run to the 2022 national title game but also struggled last season as they missed the tournament, just like Michigan basketball did.
Love, a former five-star recruit from St. Louis, was strongly considering Missouri. However, the Wolverines were able to land his commitment. Michigan basketball also added former four-star power forward Tray Jackson, who has played for Missouri and Seton Hall.
These are two different additions, but both are going to help the Wolverines in their own way. Here are three takeaways for Michigan basketball.
Caleb Love is just what Michigan basketball needed
The Wolverines needed a star after Hunter Dickinson, Kobe Bufkin, and Jett Howard all departed, and they got one with Caleb Love.
https://twitter.com/caleb2love/status/1644371308166168579
He didn’t shoot the ball well last season, especially from deep, but still averaged 16.7 points per game. On3 ranked him as the No. 4 player in the transfer portal, while he was ranked 10th according to 247 Sports.
Love has warts to his game. There’s no question about that. He takes too many bad shots. At the same time though, lots of good players get stuck in the position of taking bad shots at the end of the shot clock, which was very true of Love.
The 6-foot-4 guard has made 200 3-pointers in his career and hit 93 as a sophomore, as well as 166 over the past two seasons. Love was a 36-percent 3-point shooter as a sophomore and if he can get back to that number (or close), coupled with the 2-point improvement we saw last season, he could be a real weapon for Michigan basketball.
Additionally, Michigan needed to add playmaking and Love brings that too with a career average of 3.3 assists per game. He’s an 81 percent free throw shooter, which also gives you an indication of what kind of pure shooter Love can be plus he averages a steal per game too.
Michigan needed someone to step in for Bufkin and Love can do that from day one. He will be the starting two-guard. He will also be Michigan’s leading scorer and shot taker. That’s just who he is. But with Michigan’s top three scorers gone, the Wolverines desperately needed someone like Love who can score and create for others at an elite level.
If Love had left for the NBA draft after last season, he might have been a first-round pick. He had to see what Juwan Howard did with Kobe Bufkin and if the Wolverines can make a positive impact on Love’s development, he’s got the potential to be an All-Big Ten Guard, as well as a 2024 first-round pick.
It’s a risky move. If Love plays like he did last season, Michigan basketball is probably going to miss the tournament again. But few transfer portal additions offer the upside of Love and if all goes according to plan, he’ll be one of the most significant pickups by any team in the portal.