The Michigan Wolverines basketball's 2020-21 point guard situation will likely have plenty of question marks surrounding it with senior Zavier Simpson now gone after manning the position for the last three years.
Sophomore David DeJulius and junior Eli Brooks appear to be the most likely candidates to replace him, but whether or not either of them are up to the task taking remains to be seen.
Brooks started alongside Simpson in U-M's backcourt this season and averaged 10.6 points per game, while DeJulius came off the bench and notched seven points per outing.
While both players filled their roles adequately (especially Brooks defensively), it's fair to wonder how high their offensive ceilings are … especially if they were to take on a significantly larger responsibility next season.
Brooks had a tendency to disappear on the offensive end at times during Michigan's games, while DeJulius has scored more than 10 points in a game just six times in 56 career outings.
It's fair to wonder if head coach Juwan Howard has concerns about the position next year as well, especially when considering CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein tweeted this afternoon that U-M has reached out to Columbia grad transfer point guard Mike Smith.
Smith was a redshirt junior this season and will be allowed to play right away at his new school, after averaging 22.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last year with the 6-24 Blue Lions.
His scoring total was the sixth best mark in the entire country, and will likely provide whatever school he chooses with an instant offensive boost.
The Smith news comes just two days after it was reported that Howard had also spoken with Harvard point guard grad transfer Bryce Aiken, who averaged 16.7 points per outing this year before suffering a season-ending injury.
The fact that Howard is in pursuit of a point guard who will be allowed to play right away is telling, especially when considering Michigan's current scholarship crunch (it is slated to have 14 players on next year's team, which is one over the limit).
U-M's point guard pursuit likely means Howard isn't necessarily all that comfortable with DeJulius and/or Brooks running the show in 2020-21, or that transfers in the backcourt are coming.
At least one departure will need to occur to make room for the five-man incoming recruiting class (a haul that still has the potential to grow if Lakewood (Calif.) Mayfair five-star shooting guard Josh Christopher is added), whether it be via transfer or someone deciding to go pro (junior forward Isaiah Livers being the most likely candidate).
Mid-Major players who post impressive statistics and then grad transfer to Power Conference schools don't always pan out (Jaaron Simmons is a good example of this, averaging just 1.5 points and 1.1 assists at Michigan in 2017-18 after posting 15.9 points and 6.5 assists at Ohio the previous year), though there are also plenty who translate well to the step up in competition.
If Smith or Aiken choose to transfer to Michigan, it's likely they would at least provide somewhat of a much-needed offensive upgrade at the point guard spot in 2020-21.
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