Notes, observations from Michigan Basketball’s Pro Day

Dozens of NBA and pro scouts were on hand in Ann Arbor to watch the Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team participate in a Pro Day as part of the program’s media day festivities. That included individual workouts, 1-on-1 work, 3-on-3 possessions and some intrasquad 5-on-5 scrimmaging.

Media members were able to observe this from a balcony overlooking the Player Development Center. We weren’t able to live tweet or post live video from that session, but I kept a running list of notes and observations from what I saw from each player on a roster that includes nine new scholarship players — including six transfers and three freshmen — and three returning players.

Below is a thread on X of videos I took during practice:

Those notes are below. Keep in mind, this is just one practice, and maybe 20 minutes of 5-on-5 play:

• The practice started with drill work, but not in an individual sense — more so practicing setting screens and cutting in groups of 2-3. From there, it was one-on-one drills down the floor before going right into three-on-three and two mini scrimmages, each about 10-15 minutes long. A lot of playing as opposed to individual work in the practice, which clearly kept everybody engaged. Practice concluded with free throws.
• The offense the team runs reminds me of the dominant San Antonio Spurs teams from the 2000s and 2010s, where everyone is moving constantly, shares the ball well and is a threat from three. It’s very free-flowing and easy to digest, and with all the ball movement, they looked difficult to guard. Guys were incredibly unselfish.
• What stood out in this particular practice is that guard Tre Donaldson may be one of the lead guys on the team. In the portions we watched, he stood out because of his shooting, ball handling and poise. He was fearless, challenging both 7-footers at the rim on drives. He was also one of the loudest players on makes. He was showing clear leadership tendencies, encouraging freshmen Durral Brooks and L.J. Cason for the a large portion of the practice. I think he is going to lead this team in scoring in many games.
• Danny Wolf truly is a guard trapped in a 7-footer’s body. The difference between him handling the ball and Vlad Goldin handling the ball is stark. It comes so much more natural to Wolf, who bodied Sam Walters in one-on-one work and showcased excellent court vision. I also think he made more than half of his three-point attempts. Man, he’s fun to watch.
• Goldin is a clear presence on defense and anchors the paint. When him and Wolf were together in defensive drills, the length all over the floor was noticeable. He is not as skilled a handler as Wolf, but then again, few 7-footers are. He grabbed a ton of rebounds, particularly on the offensive side, and even made a few threes that looked natural. At one point, Wolf and Goldin made threes on back-to-back possessions, something you don’t see often from a pair of 7 footers. When he and Wolf were on the same team, they ran a pick-and-roll inside the three-point line that looked incredibly hard to defend. If I had to pick out a weakness, he was a little flat-footed on defense and a few of the guards, particularly Roddy Gayle Jr., took him off the dribble fairly easily.
• Will Tschetter looked faster and much more confident than he did in past seasons. He had to go against Goldin most of the time, but he really held his own in the paint. He was one of the chattier guys out there, joking around, but not in a way that was distracting or anything — I’d say he brought brevity when it was needed. He didn’t shoot as well as some of the other guys, but he was more quick to shoot threes, which appears to be a huge part of May’s offense.
• Nimari Burnett was one of the quickest players we saw and took both the freshman guards that participated off the dribble fairly easily. He wasn’t as comfortable with the ball in his hands as Donaldson or Cason, but he thrived as a secondary creator late in actions. He was real talkative on defense and showed confidence out there. Both him and Tschetter showcased real leadership ability, talking a lot on defense and encouraging teammates quite a bit.
• Gayle is a versatile scoring threat and may have been the best driver from the limited action we saw. He wasn’t afraid to go at the big men in the lane and try to finish over them. Similar to DeMar DeRozan, he’s got an old-school game that consists of a lot of mid-range shots, but he’s not afraid to let it fly from three. He had a calm, quiet confidence about him. He wasn’t a lead ball handler much, but he moved the ball really well in the flow of the offense.
• Rubin Jones is going to be an essential glue guy on this roster. He guarded multiple positions and shot the ball at a decent clip. He was one of the leaders on the floor, calling out coverages and making sure to switch with the big men when they got caught in mismatches. He wasn’t a lead ball handler most of the time, but he appeared to mesh well with every guy he played with.
• Sam Walters was incredibly hot from three and didn’t miss a shot for most of the day. He utilizes his pivot foot beautifully, oftentimes turning back for a little fadeaway jumper that went in regularly. He and Wolf played well off each other with both guys having deep range. He did get bodied in the paint by Wolf and Goldin, but that’s not his game. He passed the ball well within the flow of the offense. He’s clearly a confident shooter, though I would have liked to see him move more without the ball.
• Cason is one of the best individual creators on this team and may be the best cutter. His one-on-one skills are clear and his three-point shot is lethal. In the portions we saw, he was a bit of a black hole and struggled to give the ball back once he got it. In the flow of the offense, he was much better finding the open man.
• Brooks is just a ball of energy. You can see it on both ends of the floor. His jumper looks a little funky with a low release point, but it goes in at a consistent clip. He also appears to have a great relationship with Donaldson, who offered words of encouragement in a mentor-type role as practice went along. He got a little visibly discouraged when he didn’t get the ball a ton in the scrimmages, but he still played excellent defense and made a lot of threes at the end of actions.
• The only scholarship players that were limited were freshman Justin Pippen and grad student Jace Howard. While May said Pippen “looked like a seasoned vet” in the first few weeks of practice and “he’s a sixth senior with a medical redshirt as far as his pace and way he plays,” he’s recovering from an undisclosed medical procedure. He will be the only scholarship player not available for Sunday’s scrimmage against Oakland. He and Howard were on bikes for the majority of the practice.
• The practice concluded with a team prayer and words of encouragement from May. After that, every player went around and thanked every scout and onlooker for being at practice.