Michigan basketball: Two players 'not playing to their standards,' Sam Walters' evolution

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines basketball hasn’t played its best as of late but still stacked two Big Ten wins last week, beating Penn State (76-72) and Rutgers (66-63). Head coach Dusty May believes that gives the team confidence that it can win tight games when their “breaking ball might not be breaking.”

The head man does know that if Michigan gets back to playing like a top-15 team as opposed to top 30, though, junior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. and graduate guard Rubin Jones will have to make more shots. Gayle is shooting just 24.1 percent from three-point range and has made only 1 triple aginst a high-major team since Dec. 7. Jones, meanwhile, has connected on 43.5 percent of his twos and 26.7 percent of his threes this season, and he’s coming off a 1-of-5 shooting night at Rutgers.

“That allows us to take a big jump as a team,” May said of the impact of those two potentially upping their game. “It’s no secret they’re not performing up to their standards, for a number of reasons.

“And we all contribute to that. It’s getting them the ball in the right positions at the right time and things like that. But we believe in them. If we’re gonna max out as a group, they’re gonna be a big reason why.”

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Gayle is a starter playing 27.6 minutes per game, so getting his shot going is crucial. He has a knack for getting to the foul line and is making 80.9 percent of his free throws, but his three-point shot has really struggled. He’s proven to be capable, too, making 21 of 49 three-point tries (42.9 percent) as a freshman at Ohio State in 2023.

“The free throw line is a good tell if a guy has good shooting mechanics, and Roddy does,” May said. “And so now, the confidence and rhythm that you need to be a really good shooter is not where it needs to be.

“But shoot, when he shoots it, if it’s an inside-out paint touch, we need him to shoot it. The teams that have guys that won’t shoot open shots are the teams that struggle finding any rhythm or identity. We just need those guys taking the right threes, but he’s gonna knock some down. There’s no doubt in my mind. I believe it. 

“He was in the gym this morning, he puts in the time, he makes them in practice. So now, it’s just a matter of getting his confidence back. Our ceiling raises drastically when Roddy, [sophomore forward[ Sam [Walters], Rubin, those guys are playing good, sound basketball.”

Sam Walters has ‘grown so much’

Walters is on the ascent, meanwhile. He’s made 5 of his last 8 three-point attempts over the last three games, and is contributing in ways other than just his jump shot. He drilled 2 big threes in the first half against Rutgers, also adding 2 boards, an assist, a block and a steal.

May and Co. challenged Walters to be better at the small things earlier in the season, and he’s been working hard and making improvements.

“We all know Sam’s reputation as a shooter,” the Michigan coach said. “He’s grown so much as a person, as a defender, as a rebounder.

“I watched the film, and he had one glaring mistake. They all have mistakes; this just happened to be a scouting report mistake. Other than that lapse, he played really good basketball. He was active, he was aggressive. He competed against [Rutgers wing] Ace Bailey.

“He banged in two real shots that we needed to kinda hold it in the road when [junior point guard] Tre [Donaldson] was in foul trouble and we weren’t in a good rhythm. We had smoked some two-on-one break layups and just couldn’t find baskets. Those shots were big. 

“And now, when he’s got it going like that, we have to do a better job of looking for him and trying to use his gravity to produce even better offense, because when he gets it going like that, we have to be more aware that when Sammy’s out there, we gotta be looking for him. And when we can’t get it to him, that means there’s a lot of attention going his way. 

“I thought he played within himself. He caught it and shot it or got it moving, and his floor spacing allows [junior forward/center] Danny [Wolf], [graduate center] Vlad[islav Goldin], Tre, those guys to look even better than what they are.”