From the moments after winning the national championship, the Michigan Wolverines put their name in the Juke Harris sweepstakes. A top performer at Wake Forest last season, Harris was one of the hottest names in the transfer portal this offseason. Even though he took a visit to Ann Arbor for the championship celebration, Harris chose to commit to Tennessee on Monday instead.
At the time of his visit, Harris was seen as a need for next season given all the players that departed the program this offseason.
Dusty May was staring down a potential scenario of losing a ton of production all in one offseason.
Adding a player of Harris’ caliber seemed as important as ever. Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Nimari Burnett above averaged 48.5 of Michigan’s 86.8 points per game. Even with Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKinney returning, we’re still talking about replacing a ton of production. One of the nation’s best high school recruiting classes was definitely going to help, but the aggression and success May and his staff have had in the portal has turned that need of a player into a want.
At the end of April, Michigan added maybe its most important piece of the offseason in 7-foot-2 Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam. When he was at UCF as a true freshman, Thiam led the Big 12 by averaging 2.6 blocks per game. In both seasons, he has averaged double-digit points per game while hovering around seven rebounds. He also can shoot from three, potentially something May can help unlock more of. Even if he stays flat at 12.9 points per game next year, Thiam is a significant addition to the program.
The first portal commitment was an immediate potential replacement for Johnson in 6-foot-10 forward JP Estrella. At 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, he’s right around the same stature as Johnson while averaging 10 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He’s also really efficient, knocking down almost 60 percent of his shots from a season ago. He was the perfect piece to add to this locker room.
Maybe the most swing-or-miss prospect is Jalen Reed. The LSU transfer started 20 games in 2023-24, but tore his Achilles and ACL in consecutive seasons, seeing only 14 games the last two years. He doesn’t have a collegiate history of stretching the floor, but he was assessed as a potential stretch big and point forward in high school. Could Reed be the missing piece at the 3?
There is also a chance Michigan plays smaller next season. There’s a world where Brandon McCoy Jr. starts at the 3 alongside McKinney and Cadeau. That would leave the Wolverines light at guard, but there is still action to be done in the portal, where Michigan could turn its attention to both guard and wing.
Even without Harris, analytics experts and national media members are already singing the praises of May’s roster construction. Evan Miya tweeted that Michigan’s roster talent currently sits in the 4-10 range in the country. Bart Torvik has the Wolverines even higher, as he believes Michigan has the second-best roster behind only the Duke Blue Devils. ESPN’s not far behind, with Jeff Borzello having the Wolverines at No. 3 in his way-too-early rankings.
A player like Harris would have pushed Michigan into the No. 1 conversation, but May has already done what he needs to ensure this team has a chance to be at the Final Four in Detroit next April. He has a championship pedigree and the team has pieces that were significant parts of their championship run still present. There is a ton to like about the Wolverines.
I’m not saying losing Harris doesn’t hurt, but had he never stepped foot on campus or had rumors of coming to Michigan, I feel like most fans would be giving May a ton of praise for what he has done to bring in the talent he has. Excitement for the Wolverines should be through the roof as they look to defend their national title.
