Michigan PG Dug McDaniel discusses 'silent grind,' two Wolverines who have made big jumps this offseason

Michigan Wolverines basketball sophomore point guard Dug McDaniel has been known to sleep at the gym on occasion. McDaniel, who’s added 15 pounds since last season’s roster was posted, has been working hard, but quietly, ahead of his second campaign as a Wolverine.

“I’ve been locked in all spring and summer,” McDaniel said on the ‘Defend The Block’ podcast with host Brian Boesch. “I made an emphasis to make it as behind-the-scenes as possible. I don’t want any cameras at my workouts. I’ve just really been at it, grinding.”

McDaniel was thrust into becoming Michigan’s starting point guard nine games into the 2022-23 season, after graduate Jaelin Llewellyn went down with a season-ending knee injury. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game — a heavy workload for a first-year point guard — shooting 35.5 percent on 93 three-point attempts and 39.9 percent from inside the arc.

“My jump shot has improved dramatically, in my opinion,” McDaniel continued. “Working on my range and just getting stronger. I feel like I got stronger — mentally, I got stronger, as well. I’ve just been here, locked in. I went home for a couple weeks, but it’s right back here, locked in. I’ve just been on the silent grind.”

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The Washington D.C. native said he was pleased with his turnover numbers (17.1-percent turnover rate and 1.6 per game) last season and is looking to carry that over to the coming winter.

McDaniel has been more vocal this offseason, taking on an increased leadership role on the Michigan team.

“The guys are looking to me a lot more,” McDaniel explained. “That’s always a positive that they can count on me and they look to me when things get hard. I’m definitely going to take account of that and hold myself accountable, as well, and also hold them accountable.”

Michigan missed the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2015, much to the disappointment of McDaniel and Co. That has motivated the returning players this offseason, and they’ve meshed well with the newcomers who also have a lot to prove. Head coach Juwan Howard has brought in three incoming transfers so far in graduates Nimari Burnett, Tray Jackson and Olivier Nkamhoua.

“I feel like we all know how it feels to be at the lowest,” the Michigan guard said. “From seeing the guys, seeing how they worked, I feel like we’re all on the same page to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

“With the new guys, they’ve been watching us. They watched us last year. And I could tell that their mindset is feeding off of ours. They’re coming in gritty. We’re all leading each other. The new guys have been very vocal — [more] than I expected. Olivier has been very vocal, Nimari, Tray. It feels like they’ve been here before.

“We’re just already building that family atmosphere and that leadership atmosphere to where we can all hold each other accountable. We don’t have to count on one person to lead the team or hold each other accountable — we can all hold each other accountable. If we keep that up and keep that going into the season, we’ll give ourselves a very great chance.”

The competition has been at a high level and helped raise everyone’s game.

“The more I can push you, the more you push me, the better we’re all going to get as a whole,” McDaniel said. “If we keep that mindset going, keep being hungry, we’re going to be good.”

Two Michigan sophomores have made major strides

McDaniel isn’t the only sophomore that Michigan needs to step up in 2023-24. Forward Tarris Reed Jr. is expected to start down low after backing up Hunter Dickinson last season. The 6-10, 265-pounder played a role off the bench but will have to carry the bulk of the load in the post this season, after averaging 3.4 points and 3.9 boards per contest as a freshman. McDaniel has seen marked improvement from Reed.

“First and foremost, we’ve gotten a lot better. Since the season ended to now — we haven’t even started yet — we’ve gotten a lot better,” McDaniel insisted. “His jump shot … look, [it’s] great. Expect some pick-and-pop this year. His jump shot looks great. It’s gotten so good to where we can half three-point shooting games now. His jump shot has gotten really, really good.

“His hook shot, his post game, he’s nearly mastered that. He’s been putting a lot of work in behind the scenes, getting his body right with Sandman [strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson]. This year is definitely the year for both of us. We’re coming this year, for sure.”

Sophomore forward Youssef Khayat played sparingly for Michigan last season, after only arriving to Ann Arbor last September. Now, the 6-9, 215-pounder had a full offseason, and he’s taken advantage.

“He could really be our X-factor,” McDaniel raved. “His body got very mature. You can tell he’s been locked in, in the weight room and lifting weights, getting stronger to be able to withstand that physicality. Also, his shot-making, I’ve barely seen him miss a shot now.

“All the things that the coaches wanted to see from him last year, he’s been making that an emphasis to work on this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a great year and a great jump. I expect a lot of great things from him coming up.”