Michigan basketball: Transfer Joey Baker, Jaelin Llewellyn fitting in so far with Wolverines

Michigan added a pair of transfers this offseason in forward Joey Baker and guard Jaelin Llewellyn, who are set to bring some veteran experience in areas of need. Llewellyn is expected to fill the starting point guard role, while Baker brings some much-needed shooting off the bench.

Llewellyn and Baker spent the first four years of their college careers at Princeton and Duke, respectively. Despite being new faces on the Michigan roster, head coach Juwan Howard speaks highly of the leadership they bring to the table.

“Eli Brooks was the stabilizer, I’m getting chills right now talking about him,” Howard told the media this month. “Amazing guy to coach and also learn from. I say learn from because he has a high IQ. Knows the game, steady leadership with the years he’s been here. Those three years, we’re going to miss him.

“To have a guy like Jaelin or Joey step right in with the experience, guys have played, Joey being from Duke, a Power Five conference. Then, you have Jaelin, who’s four years in and a starting guard at Princeton. They know a lot about college basketball and it’s nice to have those type of guys out there on the floor with their skillsets, not only on the offensive and defensive ends but also great locker room guys. That’s so critical.

“I know from the experience of being a former player. When you have guys that enjoy being around one another and things get a little out of whack, guys know how to reel it back in, another coach out there on the floor. I don’t have to micromanage anything. It’s good to have two guys like that. They are one of us. That’s how [quickly] they have adjusted to this culture right away. We’re going to need them.”

How Llewellyn has impressed at Michigan

Llewellyn was a four-star recruit and top-100 prospect during his high school career, per ESPN. The Mississauga, Ontario native was North Pole Hoops’ No. 5 Canadian prospect and top point guard in the class of 2018. He is now expected to start at point guard for the Wolverines.

He had a decorated career at Princeton, joining the program’s 1,000-point club this past season. Llewellyn was First Team All-Ivy League in 2022, averaging 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. His three-point shooting increased every season at Princeton, which peaked this year at 38.6% from distance. Llewellin started all 76 games he played in his career with the Tigers. Princeton finished first in the Ivy League in the regular season and had a 23-7 record overall.

“One of the things that really stood out to me was the level of production with the ball in his hands,” Howard said. “Whether it’s decision-making but also his shooting. His shooting, that’s something that we would love to have knowing the type of guys that we were going to be losing. That was also a need I wanted for us to improve on. Jaelin, his shooting and his decision-making along with his athleticism, I felt like that was a no-brainer. That’s what made him super attractive for us.

Baker’s fit with the Wolverines

Baker (6-6, 206) was a four-star recruit and the No. 39 player in the 2018 class, per the On3 Consensus ratings. He committed to Duke and reclassified to enroll early, but never quite broke through for the Blue Devils. There is an asterisk next to that given Duke’s recent pedigree of bringing in one-and-done players. He has been parked behind a lot of NBA talent.

Baker averaged 4.5 points per game last season in around 12 minutes per game and shot 43.5% from the floor and 40.5% from three-point range. The 30 triples he made last year are more than any returning player on Michigan’s roster alone.

“It’s going to be great for us, we need Joey,” Howard said. “You’ll see it this year with how he’ll be used. Right now, it’s too early. We don’t have any rotations, we don’t have starters.”

Michigan is currently in Europe on a 10-day trip that will take them through France and Greece, playing a trio of exhibition games. Baker is coming off an offseason surgery and will not play. Howard and the Wolverines will work to see what they have and what their rotations could look like to start camp.