[ad_1]
Last season the Michigan men’s basketball team shot 36% from behind the arc. Against Oakland in their exhibition game on Sunday, the Wolverines shot 43% from deep.
Moreover, all eight players that played meaningful minutes had at least one make from downtown for Michigan. From a team that shot around 22 3-pointers per game a season ago, against the Golden Grizzlies, the Wolverines attempted 35. Launching more shots at an improved chip, they generated 45 points from outside.
While an October exhibition game in no way determines how Michigan will shoot the ball for the remainder of the season, Wolverines coach Dusty May has made it clear throughout the offseason that 3-point shooting is one of the main identities of Michigan’s offense heading into the season.
“Yeah, we’ve shot well,” May said at Michigan Media Days Friday. “ … Catch and shoot threes, we’ve generated good shots. A good percentage of them have been open threes, un contested threes, which is what we take pride in. … We have a really good shooting group.”
Both in the Michigan Pro Day practice on Friday and in the exhibition game on Sunday, the Wolverines had their first opportunities to display the fast-paced and aggressive offense. And in that system, it allowed Michigan to generate as many 3-point shots as possible.
Whether it was swiftly finding the open man in transition or using graduate center Vlad Goldin to collapse defenders down low, the Wolverines found ways to get a shooter the ball, and that often led to a make.
“Coach preaches to me to play fast and help other guys get open,” junior guard Tre Donaldson said after Sunday’s exhibition. “That allows us to be fun and exciting to watch and shoot a lot of threes.”
May’s fast-paced offense is designed to generate chances from beyond the arc. If that’s successful, Michigan’s opponents’ attention could become directed solely on that dimension of its offense, opening up an entirely new game down low for its forwards and center like Goldin.
Nonetheless, from the top to bottom of the lineup, nearly every player on the Wolverines’ roster has already shown flashes of their shooting ability. But one player who especially thrives under May’s offensive philosophies is sophomore forward Sam Walters. Walters, who was a 3-point specialist at Alabama during his freshman year, has only continued to improve and perfect his craft at Michigan in May’s system.
“I think I’m an elite shooter,” Walters said. “ … I’m still always working on having a super quick release. But I definitely would say a lot of guys that are threes are not usually my height, and even when I have to go down to the four, I still feel like I have a quick release and I’m still somewhat taller than those guys.”
Walters’ size and quickness is something that can set him apart in an offensive system that thrives on quick ball movement and quick release. But again, it’s not just Walters that will draw the attention of a defender along the perimeter. Because five of the eight Wolverines that made a deep shot against Oakland had more than one.
Michigan has already showcased how it wants to use a fast-paced offense to generate as many 3-point shots as possible. And with a team that’s eager to shoot the deep ball, May’s offensive system could flourish if it capitalizes on that crucial part of its offensive scheme.
Related articles
[ad_2]
Source link
