Michigan Basketball: Finding Chemistry Key for Versatile Wolverines in 2014-15

Mixing and matching has always been one of John Beilein’s strengths.

Now in his eighth year as Michigan basketball’s head coach, the celebrated tactician will undoubtedly take some time to twist and turn his roster until he’s comfortable heading into Big Ten play and, ultimately, March.

During a press conference Thursday at the Crisler Center, Beilein spoke of his team’s moving parts—particularly the potential of his freshmen and underclassmen who greatly benefited from the team’s summer trip to Italy.

Considering their losses, that’s a welcome sign for the Wolverines as they head into 2014-15.

However, they're without NBA draftees Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III, who accounted for roughly 30 of 74 points per game this past season, and Mitch McGary, who was sidelined with a back injury but could have added another dimension of physicality and scoring this season.

With practice beginning Saturday, Beilein will really find out who can do what. Kameron Chatman, a 6’7”, 210-pound frosh, should be one to watch.

"He’s going to play both forward positions, and if we ever got stuck, he could play in the backcourt,” Beilein said via UM press release. “He has done some really good things and all of the freshmen are OK. What happens when we string two or three weeks together? This summer, even though we did get to practice, it was at like seven o'clock at night after a day of classes and study hall. When we can put practices back-to-back it's going to be really exciting to see his development."

Chatman’s ability to score from anywhere, play defense and glide the floor is only the tip of the iceberg. With his size and natural instincts, the former 4-star recruit could end up having a bar-setting, two- or three-year career before jumping to the NBA.

His pure talent complements an incoming group that’s booming with wattage from the guard position and brimming with potential up front.

"We have a lot of young guys; we're a growing team,” said Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Caris LeVert. “Each and every day, we're just trying to get better and learn more and maximize our potential. They're an eager group to learn and they're really athletic and energetic and they're ready to get going.”

The junior winger saw freshmen grow up a little in Italy.

“It was definitely good for our young guys to get their feet wet a little bit and get some jitters out,” he said. “Just being over there and being aggressive will really help us out going forward as we start the season."

Yes, the freshmen will be fun to monitor. But don’t forget about LeVert, Zak Irvin, Spike Albrecht and Derrick Walton, either. They’re the glue that binds the Wolverines.

They Stand on Guard

USA TODAY Sports

Michigan has one of the best backcourts in the Big Ten. With that said, it’ll only get better this season, as Walton, Levert, Albrecht and Irvin have each taken forward strides in development and, more importantly, leadership.

Teaching and meshing with freshmen Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Aubrey Dawkins will take time, but Walton, a 6’0”, 185-pound sophomore point guard, likes what he’s witnessed thus far.

"Muhammad plays north-south,” Walton said. “He doesn't waste a lot of movement and gets to the basket and from Point A to Point B quickly. Aubrey is a really good athlete who can really shoot. He can help us a lot on the defensive glass this year."

Those attributes are exactly what a coach who's known for piecing together combinations wants to see.

Being efficient is a plus that’ll carry Abdur-Rahkman as he develops the finer aspects of his game. As for Dawkins, well, he’s a relatively unheralded recruit who isn’t afraid to get dirty or put up shots. 

Add all of that to a star’s healthy return, and Beilein has a recipe for success—just add LeVert.

Coming off foot surgery, the 6’7”, 200-pound junior will also be a key factor. A year ago, he averaged 12.9 points per game and emerged as one of the Big Ten’s young stars. On Thursday, he said that he “got back to 100 percent about two weeks ago,” which bodes well for a backcourt that lost Stauskas, one of the purest scorers to ever set foot in Ann Arbor.

The possibility of a big guard tandem of Chatman and LeVert is interesting. Pairing Irvin with Walton is always a good idea, too.

If Beilein can get his freshmen involved early, that backcourt will morph into a true heavyweight threat.

Just Being Forward

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

In 2013-14, Mark Donnal was slapped with a beneficial redshirt. This year, the 6’9”, 240-pound forward should be more involved.

Should Ricky Doyle, a true frosh, get on the fast track, the Wolverines will have a young pair of nearly identically sized options with evolving skill sets—and one of them will likely clock major minutes this season.

"I need to watch both of them more, but at the end of the preseason here, when we get into November, one will probably have the upper hand on the other, but I can't make that call yet,” Beilein said. “We may get situational sometimes, but I wouldn't discount Mark's inside game or Ricky's outside game. The perception would be that one is one thing and the other is the other thing, but I think both have the ability to play the other's game and that's what we're working on, so they can be really versatile."

It’d appear that putting it all together on the court is the only thing left on the to-do list for Beilein, who mentioned that 6'9", 220-pound forward D.J. Wilson—another highly touted frosh—could see time at the 5, praised Albrecht and LeVert’s take-charge demeanor, and said the hungry Wolverines have yet again bought into his system.

But it doesn’t take a coach to see that.

"Everybody in that locker room believes a lot in themselves and in the guy right next to them,” said Walton. “Every guy on this team can make big plays, so us losing talent just gives other guys the opportunity to step up and show what they can do."

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines basketball writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.

Unless otherwise noted, quotes and references were obtained via press release from Michigan basketball sports information director Tom Wywrot. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.