Michigan Basketball: An Early Look at the 2015-16 Wolverines

The hips don’t lie. And when they’re sore, they can wreak a ton of havoc, which was the case this past season for Michigan basketball—more specifically for Spike Albrecht, a senior-to-be who battled his way through a 16-16 campaign with a bruised, aching waistline.

Earlier this week, Michigan announced that Albrecht had undergone successful hip surgery at the university. That’s the plus in the situation. The negative of it all is this: Albrecht is expected to miss the next four to five months. With that said, his offseason won’t be as productive as it could have been, and it could put a wrinkle in Michigan’s plans for 2015-16.

But there’s more.

Albrecht only had his right hip done; he still needs attention on the left side, which could be repaired down the road. Once the medical issues are resolved, Albrecht should be in good shape.

Wolverines coach John Beilein recently released a statement pertaining to his hobbling point guard, who has a soul made of iron.

"There is no player tougher than Spike Albrecht," Beilein said. "He proved that this season playing through injury and continual pain in both hips. He never used it as an excuse, and I will always admire him for that.

"We have some of the world's best doctors at the University of Michigan, and we are confident he will only get better following this surgery and his summer of rehabilitation. I am not expecting Spike to dunk anytime soon, but we do expect a full recovery by the start of our September workouts. We just want Spike to be at his best for his senior year at Michigan."

For Albrecht, the rehab is just a minor setback on the trail to something more. As the unquestioned emotional leader, Michigan will need more than just points and assists from Albrecht this season. His leadership is invaluable.

He made the call to have surgery, not only for his own welfare but for that of his team.

"This is something I knew I would have to do, and now is the right time," said Albrecht, via the release. "I am so appreciative of all the support I have received from the U-M medical doctors and staff, the U-M coaching staff, my teammates and especially all the Wolverine fans. I cannot wait to get back to the floor playing pain-free."

Albrecht’s ability to play pain-free will greatly influence the outcome of 2015-16 for the Wolverines. But there are other factors in the equation, such as the development of the backcourt and polishing of the forwards, hanging in the balance as well.

Guards on Pause

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As mentioned above, Albrecht is on the mend.

That means that Derrick Walton Jr., Aubrey Dawkins, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Caris LeVert—if he comes back for his senior year—and Zak Irvin must shoulder the load until their captain returns to the huddle.

Walton, a “Jr.” who will be a junior this fall, is the obvious No. 1 option for the Wolverines. However, due to a sprained toe, Walton never took hold of his sophomore year as most anticipated. He missed the final 12 games of the year but is expected to return healthy.

The 6’0”, 185-pound point guard has All-Big Ten skills. Michigan needs him.

As freshmen, Dawkins and Abdur-Rahkman showed that they are indeed the future of Beilein’s stable of guard hybrids. 

This past season, Dawkins, a dunk machine, and Abdur-Rahkman, a defensive-minded scorer, were two of the most impressive youngsters in the Big Ten. They were no D’Angelo Russell of Ohio State, but they steadily improved as the year progressed.

Dawkins only scored five during the season finale, a 71-60 loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament, but his previous three efforts were nothing short of incredible. The 6'6", 190-pounder scored 21, 31 and 18 points en route to cementing himself as Michigan’s most dangerous and perhaps underrated offensive weapon.

Other than Walton, Abdur-Rahkman may be Michigan’s best rebounding guard. He needs to tune up his offensive skills, but the 6'4", 175-pounder certainly has a bright future in the Big Ten. He’ll be a key defensive cog until and after Albrecht’s return.

During a recent conference call, Beilein said that Irvin could be a three-position player, referencing the junior-to-be’s ability to swap from the 2 to the 4 within a moment’s notice. Beilein said that Irvin will become more complete if he finds a way to drive to the rim more often and keep his head up on the dribble.

At 6’6” and 215 pounds, Irvin has everything: pogo legs, a dangerous scoring touch and the size to battle with forwards. Consistency, though, wasn’t his strong suit in 2014-15. That came as bad news, considering that he was viewed as a potential all-leaguer. However, he averaged nearly 17 points during the final nine games of the season, topping out with 28 during an 82-78 double-overtime loss at Northwestern.

LeVert, a 6’7”, 200-pound winger, has an important call to make—and soon. He’ll either stick around for one more go-round with Beilein, or he’ll jump to the Association. Michigan needs LeVert to return. LeVert, who was hit with another broken left foot, needs to return. He’s not a first-rounder, so it doesn’t make any sense to test his luck in the draft.

Fast-Forward

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With Mortiz Wagner set to hop in the mix, Michigan will have an ideal pick-and-pop option at the power forward position. The 6’9”, 210-pound German teen sensation has room to grow and is by no means a finished product.

But Beilein’s done wonders with athletic stretch guys, so expecting the same results for Wagner is, well, expected.

Duncan Robinson was ineligible this past season, but the Division II transfer was widely heralded as the team’s best shooter. During one of the final availability sessions of the season, Dawkins was actually rather adamant about Robinson’s potential.

D.J. Wilson redshirted due to a knee injury, but that may have not been a bad thing. Now with a year of learning as spectator, he'll likely be primed to do more next season. It's only natural progression. 

At 6’9” and 245 pounds, Ricky Doyle represents Michigan’s muscle in the paint. As a freshman, Doyle learned to assert himself against some of the Big Ten’s brawniest bigs, such as Minnesota’s Maurice Walker. Offensively, Doyle isn’t quite right. He averaged 6.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, but that stat line is misleading—Doyle is a double-double guy all day.

Expect Doyle to jump from playing about 18 minutes per game to 25 next season.

Now that Max Bielfeldt is likely out of the picture, the onus is on Mark Donnal to either produce or clear the way for someone who can. As a redshirt freshman, Donnal showed his range and mobility. Having a 6’9”, 240-pounder who can float around the floor and hit shots from beyond the perimeter is a wonderful luxury to have for any coach.

Prior to the start of the Big Ten season, Beilein often talked about his promising duo of Doyle and Donnal. At that time, he didn’t know which one would end up filling the role of inside guy and outside guy. It’s probably safe to assume that those roles were defined in 2014-15: Donnal is the shooter; Doyle is the bruiser.

Speaking of definition, Kam Chatman is due for a label. As of now, the sophomore-to-be is being viewed as a player who struggled to grasp the concept of major D-I basketball. That’d be fair to say. The 6’7”, 210-pounder didn’t take to Beilein’s system as quickly as most thought he would.

In all likelihood, Chatman’s looking to prove himself as a sophomore. That’d be the logical step, anyway. And it’s not like he didn’t give enough reason to believe this past season. Look back at the eight minutes he played versus Ohio State—he scored the prettiest six points of his career during that 64-57 home win over the Buckeyes.

Those are the types of games that beckon the services of clutch players. Chatman’s ride has just begun, and like Wagner, Doyle and Donnal, he’ll be crucial in 2015-16 for Michigan.

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

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer via press conference, press release or other media availability.