One of Dusty May's super powers is seeing the talents in players that other coaches can't quite see.
May has done that with Danny Wolf, Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, Elliot Cadeau, and Morez Johnson. It's one of the biggest reasons that Michigan cut down the nets this year as the national champions.
May was able to get more out of those players than their previous teams did. Michigan basketball fans have to hope he can do the same with the incoming transfer portal class, which is made up of three bigs: Moustapha Thiam, J.P. Estrella, and Jalen Reed.
Estrella and Thiam were the big names. They started last season and are expected to have starting roles for Michigan basketball this season, as the four and five.
Reed, a former top-100 recruit who spent his first four seasons with LSU, has flashed during his college career, but injuries have hampered him, limiting Reed to 14 games the past two seasons. Here's an excerpt from his Michigan player profile.
"During the 2025-26 season, Reed played in six games before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. He averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the field. In 2024-25, Reed started the first eight games before a season-ending right ACL injury. He averaged career bests of 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 60.4 percent from the field."
Reed has been productive the past two seasons. He averaged 11 points per game and six rebounds in eight starts in 2024-25. The 6-foot-10 forward has 39-career starters. He's not a stranger to play high major basketball at a high level.
Reed talked about his potential impact this season in a recent interview with Hail Media Group.
Jalen Reed talks about how impact with Michigan basketball
I'd say I'm a high-IQ four," Reed said. "I'm versatile. I can knock down the three, rebound. I think I'm a really good slasher. I can get to the basket and make really good decisions. Versatile defender. I feel like I can guard any position and that I have proven that. I'm excited to show Michigan fans what I can do."
Michigan values versatile defenders, especially bigs who can switch ball screens. Morez Johnson was a master at it. Mara was pretty damn good for a 7-foot-2 center. Davis can do that, too. His on-court production has never been an issue, It's been staying healthy.
If can do that, as we previously stated, Reed could wind up as a major steal.
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