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Hunter Dickinson has quietly made big time adjustments to his game

On3 imageby:Ant Wright•01/22/22•

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PISCATAWAY, NJ - JANUARY 04: Michigan Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson (1) during the college basketball game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Michigan Wolverines on January 4, 2022 at Jersey Mikes Arena in Piscataway, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Hunter Dickinson came into this season with lofty team and personal goals. So far, it has not gone the way he or anyone could have foreseen. The Michigan Wolverines were preseason national title contenders, ranked #6 in the country. In the Big Ten, they were voted to finish at the top of the conference. Fifteen games later, they are 8-7 with no Quad 1 wins. Even though the team has struggled, Hunter has remained a steady force.

In 2020-21, Michigan basketball had an abundance of shooters to plug into the lineup. The elite shooting benefited Hunter due to the amount of spacing it provided. Teammates could drive and create off the dribble and dish passes to Hunter down low. When Michigan went to Hunter for post up opportunities, teams were second guessing who should double team and who should stay with their assignment. This year, DeVante Jones is the only player who shoots over 37% from 3pt range, ranking #187 nationally. To compare last season, Michigan had four 3pt shooters over 39% from deep, ranking #15 in the country.

Hunter Dickinson Basic Stats

Despite the lack of spacing and shooting, Hunter has done a great job adjusting his game, and becoming more well rounded. In suboptimal circumstances this season, he’s been able to improve in almost every category.

Points Per Game: Hunter Dickinson is playing more and getting more shots, but he is not getting to the foul line as often. I attribute this to being more willing to pass out of double teams, more jump shots being taken, and big men not wanting to foul in a trap. He has gone from 14.1 points to 16.4 points per game.

Field Goal %: When players are taking more jump shots, they naturally get less efficient. This is not the case for Hunter, he has gone from 59.8% to 60.1% from the floor.

3pt FG%: Through 28 games last year, Hunter attempted four 3pt shots, and made none of them. Already through 15 games this year, he is 6-19 (31.6%) from 3pt range, taking 1.4 attempts per game. Teams have to respect him spotting up and will contest. The big contesting at the 3pt line allows for offensive rebounding opportunities.

Assists and Turnovers: Hunter has become remarkably better with the basketball. He went from 0.9 assists to 2.2 assists while lowering his turnovers from 2.3, down to 1.9 turnovers per game. Improving in these areas with a less efficient roster is the impressive aspect.

Advanced Stats

Analytical Deep Dive for Hunter Dickinson

I wanted to highlight some adjustments Hunter has made, and also some categories he has vastly improved on from last season. Some analytics had a little bit of growth, and some areas were increased by well over 300%.

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