Michigan Basketball: Beilein Will Try Different Guard Combinations
Michigan senior point guard Derrick Walton (6-1, 190) could be the catalyst for this season, a preseason All-Big Ten selection as voted by the media. He has yet to reach his potential, slowed by injuries (though he did earn third team All-Big Ten honors last year after averaging 11.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 points per game), but head coach John Beilein calls him an “elite shooter” who just needs to finish better at the rim to open things up for the long ball.
Walton shot 38.7 percent from three-point range last year but only 37.7 percent overall. Assistant Billy Donlon could help with that, Beilein said, having brought some new ideas with him from Wright State. He’s always been known as a defensive specialist, but he’s much more, Beilein said.
“We talk a lot about Billy Donlon and the defense. He’s also the point guard and guards coach, is really good at creating other ways of gaining leverage, the skill development and the ball handling you need to finish at the rim,” Beilein said. “Derrick, I sense, is going to have much improved numbers in that area between 15 feet and one foot, where it is tough. Tough twos.
“Every NBA team, college team is trying to get guys to take tough twos. That’s what Derrick will have to make for as long as he plays basketball. He’s an elite shooter, so people are going to try to take that away. He’s not going to go up and dunk over people. That’s a thing he’s worked on, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does.”
Walton can also distribute, as evidenced by his Big Ten Tournament record 12 assists in a win over Indiana last season. Behind him, freshman Xavier Simpson (5-10, Rivals.com’s No. 65 player nationally in the 2016 class) is ready to spell him at the point, or – according to Beilein – even take the floor with Walton and allow his senior to play off the ball.
“Xavier is very, very quick in small spaces,” Beilein said. “He’s almost like a running back that can hit the hole, cut and get into spots. He’s really good at that, and he really sees the game really well, sees what’s going on.
“Our upperclassmen, no matter who it is, are encouraging in helping him. We’ve seen a lot of arms around him in practice – ‘here’s what coach is talking about.’ Derrick knows Xavier is the heir apparent here, so Derrick challenges him.
“You should look forward to seeing them both in the game at the same time, letting Derrick hunt shots and X run the team. You could see that more than you’d ever expect.”
The team’s best drive and finisher a year ago, junior Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman, (6-4, 190) is back and also ready to take his game to the next level after averaging 8.6 points and 2.7 rebounds a game last season. He was extremely efficient offensively (112.9 offensive rating) and shot 56.8 percent from two-point range in Big Ten play.
“Nobody’s talking about Muhammad, but he’s had a really good postseason, preseason and has some pretty good athleticism in the backcourt, as well,” Beilein said.
Some of the best backcourts they’ve ever had included a three-man rotation, Beilein said over the summer, and if they’re all healthy, the backcourt could be extremely dynamic. Another freshman, Pickerington (Ohio) Central’s Ibi Watson (6-5, Rivals.com three-star product), can shoot the lights out, Simpson said, and has shown above the rim athleticism in the early going.
"The bench is a tremendous motivator," Beilein said of point guards pushing each other. "But I also like the idea of having that quickness out there, and we've got two very, very quick guards. When UConn won the National Championship a few years ago with two quick small guards … that’s very appealing to us defensively to have that kind of quickness on the perimeter."