Michigan Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Wolverines
By Adam Childs
Key Reserves
Cole Bajema
Bajema is tall but skinny. He sits at 6’7″ but just 175 pounds. He is a smooth shooter from the outside and could develop into Michigan’s best shooter this year. He can put it on the floor and hit jumpers off the dribble also and depending on how Howard will want to use him, could be a sparkplug off the bench. He can score points in bunches and if he can get stronger could see himself getting some starting time. To start with though, he will probably back up Livers at the three spot.
Franz Wagner
Wagner would have been listed in the starting five but he just suffered a wrist injury that will keep him out four to six weeks. He was Howard’s first recruit he brought in after being named the head coach. Wagner’s older brother Moe was a star at Michigan and it was widely thought that Franz would either come to Michigan or go pro in Germany. He is not as big as Moe, but is a better shooter from the outside and can handle the ball better. When he gets healthy he should be able to provide a scoring punch for the Wolverines and be able to stretch defenses. He will probably be in the four spot unless Livers starts playing more in the two spot.
Austin Davis
Davis is a big guy at 6’10” and 250 pounds and can clog up the middle. He got some minutes last year but struggled to not foul and wasn’t much of a scoring threat. He is a guy that could make a big leap like Teske last year if he can finish at the rim. He should get a lot of opportunities to spell Teske this year but will need to produce if he wants to keep those minutes. But with his size, if he can refine his skills he could be a key piece for the Wolverines this year.
David Dejulius
Dejulius didn’t see a lot of minutes last year but came in as a four-star recruit out of California. The talent is there he just needs to produce. He should see his minutes increase this year and if he can prove he can score he could be very valuable off the bench, and could even become a starter if Brooks struggles. There is a lot of optimism around Dejulius, he just needs to live up to the hype out of high school.