Michigan Basketball: Isaiah Livers’ return a big boost for Wolverines

With star forward Isaiah Livers returning to school, Michigan Basketball becomes a potential Big Ten contender for the 2020-21 season.

Michigan Basketball fans received good news this Friday as they awaited rising senior Isaiah Livers’ NBA Draft decision. While Livers was not a projected first-rounder and it was unclear whether he would get drafted at all, he was 95th on ESPN’s best prospect list, there was always the chance he could be ready to be paid to play basketball regardless.

“What a crazy couple of months. However, I have learned a great deal from this process, and I’m extremely excited to return to Ann Arbor,” Livers said, per release from the University of Michigan. Livers also added that there was “unfinished business” for him and the Wolverines.

Livers missed a major part of the 2019-2020 season with a lower-body injury. He appeared in 21 games while only seeing the majority of the action in 19 of them. However, the Wolverines excelled with Livers on the court, going 13-6 in those games. Livers performed to a high level as well, averaging 12.9 points per game, which led the team along with Zavier Simpson, and 4.0 rebounds per game.

While graduating seniors Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske along with transfer guard David DeJulius leave big holes for the Wolverines, Livers and his supporting cast should perform well enough to be in the mix right at the top at the Big Ten yet again. Livers is one of three double-digit scorers returning, along with sophomore Franz Wagner (11.6 PPG) and Eli Brooks (10.6 PPG).

Those three players are expected to start alongside standout Columbia transfer guard Mike Smith and consensus top 50 freshman big man Hunter Dickinson. Michigan also returns plenty of experience off the bench with Brandon Johns Jr., Austin Davis, and Adrian Nunez. Zeb Jackson and Terrance Williams are also four-star recruits who should be ready to contribute off the bench for the Wolverines.

Isaiah Livers is the type of player that can push Michigan to contender status with his pedigree and achievements. He will head into the season as one of the top players in the Big Ten and puts Michigan right in the top-4 conversation behind Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan State.