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Nimari Burnett is eligible and that’s huge for Michigan basketball

By Chris Peterson

Mar 18, 2023; Birmingham, AL, USA; Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) and Alabama guard Nimari Burnett (25) enjoy the final minutes of the Crimson TideÕs win over Maryland at Legacy Arena during the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Alabama advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a 73-51 win over Maryland. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa NewsNcaa Basketball March Madness Alabama Vs Maryland
Mar 18, 2023; Birmingham, AL, USA; Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) and Alabama guard Nimari Burnett (25) enjoy the final minutes of the Crimson TideÕs win over Maryland at Legacy Arena during the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Alabama advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a 73-51 win over Maryland. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa NewsNcaa Basketball March Madness Alabama Vs Maryland /
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Nimari Burnett is going to be allowed to play right away next season and that’s really good news for Michigan basketball. 

It was expected that Nimari Burnett was going to suit up for the Michigan basketball team during the 2023-24 season. But the Wolverines got the official word on Tuesday that Burnett would indeed be eligible to play next season.

Burnett who has transferred twice — once from Texas Tech to Alabama and also from Alabama to Michigan basketball — needed to graduate in order to be allowed to play next season and he’ll graduate from Alabama on August 5th according to Jon Rothstein.

Rothstein was citing Burnett’s father as a source, which is about as reliable as it gets. For Michigan basketball, this was expected but it’s still massive. After the Caleb Love fiasco and also losing Papa Kante, U-M fans have all learned not to take anything for granted.

Nimari Burnett’s role next season with Michigan basketball

Burnett is a 6-foot-5 guard and as Rothstein said, he’s one of the best on-ball defenders in college basketball. The former five-star prospect was ranked 27th overall in the 247 Sports composite rankings, so he’s got a ton of talent.

Burnett averaged 5.6 points per game last season. He also made one 3-pointer per game and shot 32 percent from beyond the arc. He’ll need to get more 2-point attempts but last season, he did make 46 percent of those shots.

However, he only averaged 14 minutes. He’ll play much more than that. I’d predict that Burnett, who is likely going to be the starting two or three, is probably going to get closer to 30 minutes as long as he can stay healthy.

For one, Michigan basketball doesn’t have many elite defenders, and if Burnett can find his offensive game, he’ll probably be the best replacement on the roster for Kobe Bufkin.

Next. 15 Best Michigan basketball careers ever in the NBA. dark

There’s a reason he was so highly rated out of high school and if Michigan basketball can get the most out of his game like they have with Bufkin and others, Burnett should be a solid two-way player for the Wolverines in 2023-24.

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