Michigan basketball: It's Dug McDaniel's time to shine
There was no question Michigan needed more guards entering the season, one of the reasons head coach Juwan Howard hit the transfer portal to land Jaelin Llewellyn. He wasn’t recruiting him to take Frankie Collins’ place, of course — the Wolverines just needed depth in case someone got hurt.
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Collins didn’t see it that way, apparently, and bolted for Arizona State. And Howard’s reasoning for landing Llewellyn in the first place came to fruition when the former Ivy Leaguer when down with a season ending knee injury in a loss to Kentucky last weekend.
Freshman Dug McDaniel will now be asked to carry a good portion of the point guard load, a lot to ask for a first-year guy.
“I think Dug is has come along pretty well. He’s been a great spark plug for us off the bench,” Michigan assistant Saddi Washington said Wednesday. “He’s been tremendous in terms of his willingness to learn. He’s a great, competitive kid, able to change the pace of the game with his speed and his quickness, and we’re confident that if his role needs to increase that we’ll bring him along like we have every other guy.
“It’s a big transition for most young players, when they can kind of do and be anything that they want in high school. Then when you make the transition to college where there’s probably more accountability, you’ve got to really focus on the detail.”
McDaniel has averaged 4.1 points per game in 14.9 minutes, along with 2.1 assists against 1.5 turnovers. He’s shooting only 34.1 percent, including 27.3 from three-point range, areas that will need to improve.
He’ll now get that chance. He’s going to need to improve on the defensive end, especially, if Michigan is going to reach its potential. He’s willing, and he’s averaging a steal per game, but he gets lost too often.
“He’s really been trying hard to focus on the details both offensively and defensively. He’s had a great opportunity to watch Jaelin and others do it and do it right,” Washington said. “You just hope that a kid takes all of that in so that when his moment comes, now he can be his authentic self.
“Dug, the talent is dynamic, and we’re going to need him to continue to take steps forward, whether Jaelin Llewellyn is around or not.”
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And now it’s confirmed it’s “not.” He’ll also need to slow down a bit — he’s often in high gear when he needs to shift lower — and improve his shooting.
“That’s part of the growth. You’ve got to be able to change pace,” Washington said. “I guess it’s one of those things — it’s a blessing, and something that needs to be controlled at times.
“But at the end of the day, I think he’s getting a better understanding of that. And as the season progresses, I think he will take some steps forward.”
Hopefully starting tonight when Michigan plays at Minnesota in the Big Ten opener.
But he’s not alone. Others will have to step up in ball handling roles. Michigan sophomore Kobe Bufkin and freshman Jett Howard, in particular, will likely see more opportunities in ball screens.
“I think we would be pretty confident with that,” Howard said. “Throughout the season, throughout the summer, both have been in that role and have continued to grow in their ability to play with the ball in their hands and play out a ball screen.
“Will it be a different look for us a little bit? Yeah, it’ll be a different look from a game perspective, maybe. But just in terms of their ability to read the game and see the game and make decisions, I think there’s a comfortability with them individually and then with us collectively as a group.”
