Inside Michigan's Offensive Surge
- Sam Bourne
- Jan 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 11
Unfortunately, all the clips have been removed from Youtube. Message me for the full clips.
The arrival of Dusty May has ushered forth an offensive renaissance in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have jumped from 95th to 11th in adjusted offensive efficiency on Kenpom. Yet, this team doesn't have a player producing like a Hunter Dickinson or Moritz Wagner. So how is Dusty May orchestrating this change?
Offensive Goals
Michigan is embracing the analytical argument for layups, free throws, and threes. This is a style that is oddly debated but something I will attempt to explain.
The first goal is always to get layups. Shots at the rim are the easiest, most consistent, and most valuable shot in basketball. The second is a by-product of rim shots which is getting to the rim, which is free throws. Third is catch and shoot three pointers. Fourth and fifth is pull-up threes and mastery shots (dependent on player).
So far, Michigan is doing a fantastic job of following this order of importance. They are the top ranked team in 2-point efficiency, shooting over 60%. Additionally, they are top third in three point attempt rate while shooting above 38%. They are above average at getting to the free throw line and 11.5% of their shots are coming from the midrange.
Transition Offense
Michigan is playing much faster under Dusty May, playing at an adjusted tempo of 70.4 possessions a game through 17 games. The most important thing is always look to pass the ball into an attacking position. This often is hitting a wing player but they will switch sides if the defense overloads ball side.
The first decision comes from who gets possession of the ball from a steal or rebound. For example, Danny Wolf gets a steal which frees up Vlad Goldin to run to the rim for a post-up. If Goldin gets the rebound, he is now the trailing big, something we'll look at soon.
Once they get the ball to the half-court, they look to flow into their motion offense with a ghost screen coming from the wing player. From this ghost screen, it can open a baseline drive or a free ball reversal by hitting the screener.
Let's go back to Goldin's role in their transition and semi-transition offense. If he is trailing the play, he is often looking to set a flare screen into a ball screen or he goes straight to a ball screen. Nearly all of his screens are slips, meaning he moves before the ball handler "uses" his screen.
Half-Court Motion Offense
They thrive off movement and forcing defenders to make quick decisions. Guys like Nimarri Burnett are key facets to the offense because of their ability to cut and move off the ball around other ball handlers. But this isn't just a free for all. Dusty May and company have provided the players with music and certain moves, but they allow the players to sequence the moves to form a dance.
The first move is ghost or slip screens. Everyone on Michigan will set ghost screens throughout the game to pressure defenses to communicate through a quick action. This is part of a large screening/movement strategy of clearing space around the ball. They use ghost screens to cause confusion, but also to clear space.
Furthermore, they set a ton of flare screens, again serving to confuse defenders. The flare screens forces quick communication while diverting attention away from the ball.
The final aspect that I love about Michigan is how little they trace the three point line. Meaning, they attack the rim and space with their cuts. This clip for example, Burnett cuts to ball side into space, the pressure prevents a pass so he cuts back door and quickly relocates to three. That relocation allows Wolf to make the same cut a few seconds later to draw free throws at the rim.
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