Every week during the college basketball season, and every other week during Michigan’s preseason basketball season, Tim McCormick joins TMI’s Sam Webb for a podcast called “The Michigan Basketball Insider.” Each show provides deep insight into the X’s & O’s and statistical analysis from Michigan games, commentary on college basketball in the Big Ten and beyond, and interviews with people from Tim’s vast group of contacts.
McCormick spent 10 seasons playing in the NBA after being a no. 12 picks in the 1984 draft. Since completing his professional career, he has worked as a consultant with NBA players for the past two decades teaching strategies for improving performance and achieving greatness. In addition, he runs the NBA Top 100 Basketball Camp for the top high school basketball prospects in the country. Tim also provides color analysis as anchor for ESPN’s college basketball coverage and Fox Sports’ Detroit coverage of the Detroit Pistons.
In this week’s episode Tim and Sam recap Michigan’s overtime loss to Iowa State, Jet Howard High draft stock, Hunter Dickinson frustration, big lineup, Will Cheeter’s encouraging play, Northwestern preview, and more.
In the excerpt below, Sam and Tim break down Jet Howard’s bullish stock project.
Tim McCormick: “Tell me what you think of Jett? I mean, that’s totally fine for the freshman performance you’re going to see.”
Sam Webb: “I’ve seen the whole thing from Jet. I’ve seen a range… shoot from the logo once! And the play that sticks with me is when he comes off the ball screen, crosses to his left, and gets to the rim. He really goes into the lab and improves all the things we’ve been talking about.” On him needing improvement heading into Michigan. Can thread (big performances) together and be consistent with him? That would be the question going forward. But you said they need a ‘man’. He’s that guy on this team (because) you want him to be a man. You can give him the ball and say go get it.Although Hunter is your go-to guy, in late play or shot clock situations you need a ball handler that you can give him and say, “Go get it!” Jett is that guy “Last night was the biggest and best example we’ve seen yet of him having that ability. To your point, though, he kind of fizzled out along the stretch. I don’t know if it was a matter of getting yourself down or giving it below early. Maybe that’s On the coaching staff to give him a little more rest sometimes.But I think to get him (constant) in this role is a big deal. Still not far from my binary expectation. I was just on Stu Douglass’ podcast, and he said, “I don’t know if I agree with you.”
Tim McCormick: “I’ve talked to enough NBA scouts, and if he wants out, it’s a lottery pick. If his dad wasn’t the coach, and his family wasn’t worth 100 million, (he’d probably go). There are a lot of guys who wouldn’t be.” They’ve been around for a year or two. He’s good. Think about it… He’s 6-7/6-8, so he’s a normal size for the position. His shot is very reliable (and) repeatable. I’d consider returning to Glenn Rice Who is the weight standard for Michigan players? I wrote two names here. Tim Hardaway Jr., Glenn RobinsonAnd Jamal CrawfordAnd Shawn Higgins. Where would you put Git on that list? “
Sam Webb:It’s hard to put him ahead of any of those now except maybe Jamal Crawford as a Michigan player. It’s hard in the middle of his freshman season to rate him (above the others). Given them talent wise, he could do things Glenn Rice It can not be done from the point of view of handling the ball. Now I wouldn’t call it this type of shooter Glenn Rice I was. I don’t need the Flints to call me heretical or sacrilegious. But Glenn Rice He wasn’t someone who put the ball on deck (like Jett). This was not his game. he was fatal archer. But you got Glenn a lot of shots. He can come off the screen (and knock them down like nobody did, and he can shoot from the parking lot too. Watching Jett catch a basketball… I’m not saying he handles it like Jamal Crawford, but the closest on that list I just made is Jamal. None of the other men had handled the rock this way. This was no Shawn Higgins game. This was not a Glenn Rice game. Tim Hardaway It was a little, but not like that.
Tim McCormick: “Jamal as a freshman…he played one year, he was a loner. He averaged 16. Jett’s 15. He’s not the same ball handler or originator, but he got a really quick layoff like Jordan Poole. I’m not saying he’s too early. Of his career, and I don’t want to blow him. But man, I enjoy watching him play. I’ve watched every minute of his career so far and it’s been amazing to me. The only thing that’s going to save us, I think, is his dad understands that when you come into the league, You don’t want to go back and forth between the top divisions. You don’t want to sit at the end of the bench. He can do a lot of development (at Michigan), so whenever he comes to the NBA, he comes with momentum as a guy no league team can. The NBA is waiting to take him out to the court, get him into the lineup. That’s what he wants. He wants to be Keegan Murray When that momentum comes the top five. He’s got a place and someone is drafting him to put him in the lineup.”
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