3 Michigan Basketball sophomores that need to take a leap

Tarris Reed

Michigan basketball fans might forget this, but Tarris Reed was actually a higher-rated recruit than Hunter Dickinson and Jett Howard.

Reed is 6-foot-10 and is likely going to be the starter center next season. Asking him to play as much as Dickinson might be asking a lot. However, there isn’t much depth, so Michigan could really use like 30 minutes a night,.

Reed showed he’s a stellar defender last season and could be the best rim protector Michigan has had since Jon Teske was roaming the paint.

Last season, Reed averaged 3.4 points, 3.9 points, and 0.9 blocks in 12.6 minutes per game. He also had the best defensive points-per-possession rate of anyone on the team that actually saw regular minutes.

The key thing for him will be offense.

Reed made 51.7 percent of his shots from the field last season, but he didn’t even attempt a 3-pointer. He also shot 40 percent at the free-throw line, so the hope is that he gets more confidence in his shot.

Juwan Howard is known for developing bigs and in Reed, he’s got a lot to work with. If he can develop him into one of the better big men in the Big Ten next season, then Michigan basketball might have a shot to finish in the upper half of the league.