Michigan PG Dug McDaniel made tweaks in his game, 'ready for a breakout season'

Michigan Wolverines basketball has a returning starting point guard for the first time since fifth-year head coach Juwan Howard‘s first season (Zavier Simpson in 2019-20), with sophomore Dug McDaniel handling the duties for a second consecutive season. McDaniel was thrust into a starting last November, when graduate Jaelin Llewellyn, who’s still working to get fully healthy, went down with a torn ACL.

The 5-11, 175-pounder averaged 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest last season, shooting 38.4 percent overall and 35.5 percent on 93 three-point attempts.

One of McDaniel’s calling cards as a freshman was his mid-range jumper. He shot 45.7 percent on mid-range shots last season, per Synergy, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten among those who attempted 35 or more on the season.

This year, McDaniel has made an alteration to his game that should be noticeable on the floor come the season, which begins with a Nov. 7 clash against UNC Asheville.

“Last year, I had the tendency to shoot a lot of long twos,” McDaniel admitted. “The managers used to get on me about that. So, this year I’ve just been making sure I’m not even close to the line. My range has increased a lot. Coming off ball screens, shooting threes, just making that more natural for me. Step-back threes, stuff like that. Just making threes is a more natural movement for me.”

RELATED
• Michigan basketball preview: Dug McDaniel leads a hungry backcourt
• Takeaways from Maize vs. Blue scrimmage, thoughts on each scholarship player

McDaniel stuck around Ann Arbor in the spring and summer, working “in silence,” so that his sophomore season is bigger than his freshman campaign.

“I’ve been grinding in the offseason,” the Michigan guard said. “A lot of guys went home, but I stayed, made sure I got in the weight room, get my body right. Gained 15 pounds in the offseason. My jump shot and my range have improved a lot. I’ve just been grinding, ready for a breakout season.”

Also noticeable will be his leadership, after having a year of experience under his belt.

“I’m very more vocal,” McDaniel said of what’s different. “Last year, I didn’t really know what to say because I was a freshman, I was still learning. But this year, I have a sense of what to say. You should expect me to be more vocal, pushing guys and pointing them in the right direction.”

McDaniel describes himself as a “pass-first point guard,” but as detailed above, he can create his own shot. At his position, in this offense, ball screens are an important area of his game. Michigan graduate forward Olivier Nkamhoua, a Tennessee transfer, has said the two have developed a nice chemistry in those situations.

“I feel like a lot of that comes from off the court,” McDaniel said. “We hang out with each other every day. I was just at his house last night. We see each other every day, just talking, getting to know each other. When we talk about basketball, he explains where he likes the ball, where he’s most effective. And I explain, I’m gonna find you in those spots. That off-the-court camaraderie leads to on the court, and our chemistry is pretty natural.”

Graduate guard Nimari Burnett, an Alabama transfer, projects to start at the ‘2’ next to McDaniel. He was playing some point guard in Michigan’s Maize vs. Blue scrimmage earlier this week, and McDaniel believes he can make plays on the ball.

“He brings a spark. He’s actually a shooter. I didn’t know he could shoot the ball that well,” McDaniel explained. “He’s been working on his jump shot in the offseason, and he’s actually a shooter.

“Yeah, he’s a great playmaker. Me and him switch off the ball often. He gets reps at the 1 in practice, so he’s familiar with the point guard position. But he’s a great ball handler, excellent defender and a very improved shooter.”

Michigan was picked 11th in the Big Ten media poll and is unranked in the preseason AP rankings, coming off missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. The Maize and Blue are looking to exceed expectations in a big way.

“We’ve seen ‘em, and we all started laughing, because we know what’s about to happen,” McDaniel said of preseason prognostications.

“I definitely feel like we’re the underdog, and we all embrace that role. It’s hard to doubt the underdog, because we’re going to come in and shock the world, so I’m excited.”