Michigan Basketball: Graduate transfer Jaaron Simmons poised for stardom
By Brian Rosen
Michigan basketball added grad transfer PG Jaaron Simmons this offseason. He has the chance to take over for Derrick Walton Jr. and lead the Wolverines to a great season.
Jaaron Simmons isn’t at Michigan basketball to ride the bench.
With the graduation of star point guard Derrick Walton Jr., it was a known fact that Michigan was in need of a true point guard. Muhammad Ali-Abdur Rahkman is a good ball-handler, but he’s better off playing at the two and letting someone else handle the floor general duties.
Enter Jaaron Simmons.
Jaaron Simmons is a graduate transfer from Ohio University, where he averaged 15.9 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 3.5 RPG last season. After testing NBA Draft waters, he decided to attend the University of Michigan.
The previously mentioned 6.5 assists per game were good for sixth in the nation.
At 6’1″ and 184 pounds, Simmons has averaged 36 minutes per game over his past two seasons. It seemed as though Walton never rested with the Wolverines, but he played 34.8 MPG last year, slightly less than Simmons.
Simmons shot 34% from three in 2016-17, but 41% the year before. He will look to return to his junior year form in a Michigan offense that annually relies on the three-ball.
Walton excelled down the stretch of last season due to his ability to score, dish, and take care of the ball. Simmons has those first two categories on lockdown, but after averaging 4.0 turnovers per game last year, he has a lot of work to do on that. Michigan offenses routinely preach few fouls and few turnovers. Simmons will need to prove he can be above average at both if he wants to ensure lots of playing time.
Simmons has the ability to completely take over a game, as evidenced by his 38-point outburst against Akron last season. He topped 20 points in nine games last season, including his final two of the season. He scored in single digits just four times over 31 total games.
Michigan basketball has been Jekyll and Hyde over the past few seasons. After the near title win with Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Nik Stauskas at the helm, the team has made an Elite 8, missed the tournament, lost in the first round, won a Big Ten Tournament, and lost in the Sweet 16. Coach John Beilein has always been an excellent coach, but the recruiting in the years since the runner-up finish hasn’t churned out top-tier talent as Wolverine fans have expected.
Snatching a top grad transfer in Jaaron Simmons will go a long way in preventing a drop-off following the departures of Walton, Zak Irvin, and D.J. Wilson. With the new senior point guard stepping onto the floor as a leader, sophomore Xavier Simpson will have more time to develop. A core of Simmons, Abdur-Rahkman, Duncan Robinson, and Mo Wagner has the potential to do some damage in a Big Ten conference that took a step back from its usual dominance last season.
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Simmons will have the opportunity to take the reigns of this team’s backcourt next season. If he is able to do so, Michigan basketball will continue to be an electric team to watch on the court. Michigan’s rival, the Michigan State Spartans, will likely enter this upcoming season as a top-10 team in the country, and it will be up to the returners and Simmons to assert their dominance in the state, something difficult to do against Tom Izzo’s squads at MSU.