Michigan Wolverines Basketball Stock Report: December 15, 2019
Just like we did with football, we'll be bringing a stock report each week for basketball. Even though Michigan has lost two in a row, its still 8-3 on the year and quite a few players are playing at a high level and a few guys are really starting to step up. Here's how we see the top six on the hardwood.
1. Senior point guard Zavier Simpson was at No. 3 last week but moves up to No. 1 despite being the head of the snake in two losses. Simpson has never been a huge scored but he is an elite facilitator. Over the last two games, Simpson has 19 assists against just five turnovers, which have been a little bit of an issue this season. He's U-M's unquestioned leader but will have to continue to take care of the ball and take better shots.
2. Junior guard/forward Isaiah Livers is leading Michigan in minutes played and has shot the ball at a pretty high clip. One of the biggest knocks on Livers right now might be that he's not shooting the ball enough. He scored 12 and 13 points against Illinois and Oregon respectively and he did it on just 18 shots. He has struggled a bit as a true four against bigger players, but his versatility and shot-making skills have been there for him just about every game.
3. Senior center Jon Teske is averaging 13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and has recorded several double-doubles this season. Against Illinois, he got outplayed by freshman Kofi Cockburn and against Oregon he just wasn't utilized very much. He played just 24 minutes and recorded four points and four boards. There's been some level of inconsistency in terms of playing with a physical edge for Teske, but overall he's been reliable on both ends of the floor.
4. Freshman guard Franz Wagner has now played in seven games and is getting closer and closer to being at full strength in terms of conditioning and overall comfortability on the floor with his teammates. The lanky swingman struggled against Illinois scoring just four points while going 2-for-8 from the floor. Against the Ducks, Wagner looked much more comfortable scoring a team high 21 points in 34 minutes of action. He finally showed off the range that makes him virtually unguardable going 4-for-7 from three-point range. Wagner has a lot of skill for a young, 6-9 guard, so he'll likely continue to climb up these ranks.
5. Sophomore forward Brandon Johns Jr. was not on this list last week but he certainly belongs after the Illinois and Oregon games. The springy forward played only eight minutes against the Illini but made his impact on the glass with four rebounds and several hustle plays. Against Oregon, his playing time bumped way up to 22 minutes allowing him to score eight points and grab nine rebounds including four on the offensive end. His confidence is growing exponentially week to week and should be in line for more playing time as the season moves on.
6. Sophomore guard David DeJulius has definitely earned the trust of head coach Juwan Howard as evidenced by his more than 22 minutes per game. Against Illinois, DeJulius didn't shoot it very much or very well but against Oregon he found his range. The young guard went 5-for-9 overall and hit two from downtown for a total of 14 points. He had two steals in the game and made a great defensive play late in the contest, which gave Michigan a chance to win the game.
How would your top six look right now? How do you think it will evolve over time? Comment below!!!
