Michigan Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Wolverines

Projected Starters

Zavier Simpson

Simpson, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, is like having a coach on the court. He leads his team about as well as anybody in the country. He rarely turns the ball over and has gotten better finding ways to score. He is a great passer and an even better defender. He may be the best defender in the conference.; Outside of Cassius Winston at Michigan State, Simpson is arguably the best point guard in the Big Ten. If he can improve on his outside shot, he could be on the shortlist for Big Ten POY this year, especially if the Wolverines finish near the top of the conference standings.

Eli Brooks

Brooks is our projection for the two spot in the lineup solely based on experience. He struggled at times last year with his shooting and will need to improve on that this year. He did handle the ball well and is a nice compliment to Simpson. He didn’t play much at the same time as Simpson last year so he could come off the bench, but our guess is that he will begin the season in the starting lineup. How long he stays there is another question.

Isaiah Livers

Livers is the Wolverine’s best chance to be a breakout player. Many thought he should be starting last year, but he found a good role as the sixth man on the team. He showed flashes of being able to break out including a big 21 point game against Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament. He hit double figures 11 times last year and shot just over 46% from behind the arc. He has all the tools to become the main scorer for Michigan this year and could see his stock rise considerably over the year. Oh and he plays great defense also.

Brandon Johns Jr.

Johns could be in the starting lineup mostly because of Franz Wagner’s broken wrist. Johns played sparingly last year, never really able to find a spot in the rotation. He has good size at 6’8″ and 235 pounds. He hasn’t shown an ability to shoot from the outside yet, but that could change this year. He seems to be more of an inside guy and has the ability to finish at the rim. Could a year with Howard help Johns make the leap into a good player?

Jon Teske

Teske was the breakout star for the Wolverines last year. A relative unknown coming into the year he thrived as a junior. He ran the pick and roll great with Simpson and was the benefactor of his great passing. Teske became very good at finishing at the rim and was a big enough threat from the outside to extend defenses. He isn’t a great shooter from deep but did hit three 3-pointers a few times last year in a game. The biggest strength of Teske is his defense. He is great at defending the rim and is strong enough to keep the biggest guys from the opposing teams from backing him down. If he improves this year like he did last year he could be one of the best big men in the conference.