Video: Austin Davis On Returning For Fifth-Year, Relationship With Zavier Simpson, More

Austin Davis' play has resulted in Juwan Howard rewarding the backup big man with the opportunity to return for a fifth year.

Redshirt junior center Austin Davis had never played much at Michigan but things changed this season under Juwan Howard. Davis is now averaging about 11 minutes of action per game for the season and almost 13 minutes per game over the last month or so.

He's been very consistent on the offensive end of the floor and is getting better on defense. He's fouling less and has done a pretty good job hedging on ball screens. He still fouls too much in one-on-one situations but he's now someone Howard can count on when Jon Teske needs a blow or is in foul trouble. Because of that, Howard recently let Davis know that he is welcome to return for a fifth year.

As you might expect, Davis could not have been happier.

Brown's Breakdown

I personally really like the decision to bring Davis back. With 7-2, 255-pound incoming freshman Hunter Dickinson in the fold, Davis is the perfect kind of lead-by-example veteran to have in place. 

Davis has been billed as one of the strongest post players in the country, which will certainly help bring Dickinson along physically. He's also very crafty and efficient on offense, which Dickinson can definitely learn from. Despite being 7-2, Dickinson isn't really an above-the-rim player, and neither is Davis. Whatever works for Davis, should work even better for Dickinson because of his size, touch around the rim and better athleticism. 

Then there's the Michigan Man factor. Davis loves Michigan and that will rub off on a large class of incoming freshmen. He's a small town, Michigan kid and has worked extremely hard to get to where he's at. He also doesn't mind being a back up. If it was all about starting and getting a ton of minutes, he wouldn't be coming back to U-M for a fifth year. Guys like that are essential for team success. Even though Davis may never stuff the stat sheet, he brings so much to the table that make good teams even better.

What do you think about Davis' return? How much can he help the young players? Comment below!!!