It’s almost college football season, but that doesn’t stop preseason college basketball predictions.
Isaac Trotter with 247Sports wrote an article predicting the Big Ten All-Conference team.
To no surprise, Trotter listed Hunter Dickinson second on the list behind Trayce Jackson-Davis from Indiana.
Jackson-Davis is a little better than Dickinson defensively, but the Michigan big man is hands-down more polished on the offensive end than his Indiana rival. The things that the 7-foot center can do offensively are just really special. The Wolverines outscored their opponents by 24 points per 100 possessions with Dickinson on the floor, per Pivot Analysis. The passing, the playmaking, the midrange jumpers, the new 3-pointer, the back-to-the-basket game, the ability to read a defense or attack the offensive glass make him such a tough cover. Dickinson’s game can go to a whole new level if he can improve as a defender in space. But he plays with such passion, energy and fire. Dickinson is the heart and soul of Michigan basketball, and he’s the best villain the Big Ten has had in a hot second. He’s simply irreplaceable. Dickinson is a lock for First Team All-Big Ten and will be a strong contender with Jackson-Davis for Player of the Year.
As Trotter said, Dickinson is extremely polished on the offensive side of the court. The big man developed a consistent 3-point shot this past season, and he has always been lethal beneath the basket. Dickinson went from shooting 0% from 3 in 2020 to shooting 32% from long-range in 2021.
In 2021, Dickinson averaged 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one block, and shot 56% from the field. The junior also played 32 minutes-per-game.
Trotter didn’t mention any other Wolverine in his All-Conference team, but in his ‘others in the mix’ he mentioned the Princeton transfer, Jaelin Llewellyn.
The Princeton transfer is entering a Michigan situation that’s pretty attractive. Dickinson is going to take the brunt of the defense’s attention, so Llewellyn could be in a spot to really shine. The best part about Llewellyn’s game is that he doesn’t make a ton of mistakes. He only turned the ball over on 11% of the 100 pick-and-rolls he had last year, and Llewellyn is a really good shooter both off the catch and off the bounce.
Since Frankie Collins transferred to Arizona State, Llewellyn will be asked to primarily handle the ball this year. But Llewellyn should be an upgrade at the position in terms of pure shooting. He shot nearly 40% from 3 last year with Princeton.
The All-Conference team was: Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Kris Murray (Iowa), Zach Edey (Purdue), and Terrance Shannon Jr. (Illinois).
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=61213]