Examining what Michigan Basketball needs in transfer portal

We all know that Michigan basketball needs help in the transfer portal and with three spots available, here are three positions of need for the Wolverines. 

The Michigan basketball team suffered a big blow earlier this week when it was announced that Caleb Love wouldn’t be coming to the Wolverines.

For whatever reason, Love wasn’t going to get accepted without doing more work in the classroom and the Wolverines now have to look elsewhere.

Love was a risky proposition. He could have played like a first-round pick next season or continued to regress backward as he did for North Carolina in the 202-23 season.

Still, he was a high-usage player and a guy with an electrifying ability to score the ball. Sometimes, he took bad shots and wasn’t efficient, but when Caleb Love is on, few in college basketball could match him.

Now, after Papa Kante also asked out of his letter of intent, Michigan basketball has three scholarships available, and here’s what the Wolverines could use.

What Michigan basketball needs in the transfer portal

The Wolverines have been connected to Rayj Dennis and he would be a great fit. He averaged over 19 points per game last season for Toldeo, shot 36 percent from deep, and averaged more than four assists per game.

The problem is that Illinois and Baylor are also in the mix. Illinois got the first crystal ball after he entered the transfer portal. Even if it’s not Dennis, the Wolverines need to add a scorer like him.

Whether it’s a two or a three or a combo wing — whatever, Michigan needs someone who can take over that Caleb Love role as a high-usage player.

Olivier Nkamhoua would be a huge addition and could be a big-time scorer in a higher-usage role, which would certainly be available at U-M. He could play the four alongside Tarris Reed and if you added him and Dennis, you’d have a solid squad.

At least one that is capable of making the NCAA tournament if Tarris Reed, Dug McDaniel, Youssef Khayat, and others can take a step forward next season.

Nimari Burnett could start at the two or three if needed, so Michigan basketball needs to land a two or three that can start alongside Burnett, and also upgrade the four or five (and allow Reed to start the four).

Reed’s versatility is nice. He could start at either the four or five and you could probably get away with it, especially with Will Tschetter and Terrence Williams able to play minutes at the four too.

Tschetter could see some time at the five but that’s another position Michigan basketball could attack in the portal. Frontcourt depth is always a good thing in the Big Ten and the Wolverines could use more rim protection.

Right now, it’s Tarris Reed. That’s it and that’s not going to be enough to get you through an entire college basketball season.