Michigan Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Wolverines

Projected starters

Guard: Devante Jones, 4th year (1st at Michigan)

Jones was a do it all impact player at Coastal Carolina, winning Sun Belt Player of the Year as a junior.  For his career, he has averaged 17.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.0 steals.  He has played a few different roles in his three-year career.  He led Coastal Carolina in assists as a sophomore (5.7) working as their primary facilitator.

As a junior, he upped his scoring to 19.3 points per game, his rebounds to 7.2 boards per game, and finished third in the country in steals per game (2.8).  It remains to be seen how much this production will translate to the Big Ten level but early practice buzz is that Jones is one of the best guards Michigan has had in a long time.

Guard: Eli Brooks, 5th year

Brooks is the consummate glue guy, a team-oriented player who defends at a high level and can impact the game offensively without the ball in his hands.  Brooks was a rotation player when Michigan made the National Championship game in 2018, and his veteran presence is a massive boost to a team with so many newcomers.  He may not have individual all-conference upside, but any Michigan fan will tell you how important he is – just look at the results from last season in the handful of games that Brooks missed due to injury (spoiler alert, it’s not pretty).

Wing: Caleb Houstan, 1st year

Caleb Houstan is new to college basketball, but Wolverine fans may feel like he’s familiar when they see his game.  His shooting, frame, and IQ resemble that of Isaiah Livers.  Houstan can score a bit more for himself with the ball in his hands, and he may be asked to do that from day one. He is likely to shoot upwards of 40% from three and compete for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. There will be 30 minutes available on the wing for the taking, and while he may only be in Ann Arbor for one year, Houstan will make the most of it.

Forward: Brandon Johns, 4th year

Johns stepped in admirably last season when Isaiah Livers got shut down in March.  He has found himself in and out of the rotation during his first three years at Michigan, and he finished last season averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in just 12.9 minutes per game.

The consensus expectation is that the starting power forward spot will be Johns’ to lose, but he needs to fend off some talented freshmen off the bench and the threat of a more small-ball approach.  Nobody questions Johns’ talent, but it’s make or break time for him to prove he can contribute consistently in a starter role.

Center: Hunter Dickinson, 2nd year

Dickinson began last season as Austin Davis’ backup, and about 30 minutes into the season, it became clear who was the starting center.  From there, Dickinson asserted himself as one of the best centers in the country, putting up monster numbers against nearly every center he played against (except for Kofi Cockburn).

This year, Michigan will unquestionably be Dickinson’s team – they will go only as far as he takes them.  With his sights set on the NBA as soon as next season, Dickinson will have one final chance to dominate college basketball.