5 most important Michigan basketball players in 2023 season

This is Part 4 of the Free Press' "Five most important players" series, in which we take a look at the x-factors for the six major beats. Check out Part 1 on the Detroit Lions, Part 2 on the Detroit Tigers and Part 3 on the Michigan football team.

After missing the NCAA tournament in 2023, then losing the Wolverines' three best players, there is a lot on the line for Michigan basketball this season.

Coach Juwan Howard has shown glimpses of greatness over his four years in charge, but thus far has been too inconsistent for the expectations the Wolverines maintain.

However, Howard has shown an ability to identify talented players and convince them to come to Ann Arbor. He has also proven himself as a talent developer, with perhaps the best example being Kobe Bufkin, who was drafted 15th overall by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. Bufkin was a four-star recruit out of Grand Rapids, but had yet to show NBA skills well into the 2022-23 season.

Howard and his staff enabled Bufkin to demonstrate his skills and he improved as the season went on.

Howard's son Jett was also drafted in the first round, by the Orlando Magic at No. 11.

That is the playbook the Wolverines will use this season: Identify, develop, and perform, as the Wolverines aim to blend more inexperienced players with some highly-rated transfers. Getting them to jell quickly will be key.

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Let's take a look at the five most-important players on the Wolverines' roster for this upcoming season (remember, "five most-important" does NOT mean "five best."):

No. 5: F Youssef Khayat

Khayat was positioned to struggle early last year after joining the team during a trip to Europe right before the season started.

The Beirut, Lebanon, native left his home country to play in France when he was 16; he has the tools to succeed in college.

At 6 feet 9, Khayat is athletic with a good handle for his size. In highlights from his time overseas, he regularly beat defenders off the dribble and finished strong in the lane. His offensive game has shades of former U-M star Franz Wagner: He knows how to use his size and skills to create space and knock down shots. It's fun to imagine those skills translating in the Big Ten.

Last year, he also showed he could knock down some 3-pointers, albeit in a small sample size — Khayat went 4-for-9 on 3s over his nine games.

It might seem like a big leap to go from 1.3 points in 6.6 minutes per game in 2022-23 to a key role in 2023-24, but he seems primed for a jump.

No. 4: G Dug McDaniel

After a slow start last year, McDaniel found a groove in his freshman year, averaging 12.4 points over the last 11 games of the season, including three games with at least 18 points.

He also showed durability and endurance in his first college season; no returning Big Ten player averaged more minutes in conference play last year than McDaniel's 35.8 per game.

McDaniel should improve on the 8.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds he averaged per game last year. He isn't a great shooter, but he did hit 35.5% of his 3s (on 2.7 attempts a game).

Point guards often have an outsized impact on the college game, but there's no understating the impact McDaniel will have on this Michigan team, for better or worse.

No. 3: G Nimari Burnett

This fall, Burnett will be on his third Power Five team in three seasons; the hope is he has finally found his perfect spot.

He played in only 12 games at Texas Tech before leaving the team for "personal reasons," transferring to Alabama. He then tore his ACL and missed the whole 2021-22 season, then played 27 games for the Crimson Tide in 2022-23.

Burnett has yet to top six points per game (averaging 5.3 with Texas Tech and 5.6 with Alabama) in his two seasons, definitely below the level for a key cog.

He struggled in his freshman year, shooting just 28% on field goals and 17.4% on 3s. He improved at Alabama, but not enough, shooting 36.8% from the floor and 32.1% on 3-pointers.

But Burnett's tape shows flashes. He seems to have a good feel for spacing and when to cut, and he was able to knock down contested shots last year.

The No. 34 player in the class of 2020 when he came out of high school, he was originally targeted by Juwan Howard in the coach's first months in Ann Arbor — Howard actually received an NCAA slap on the wrist after referring to Burnett by name without an official commitment — Burnett has now spent three seasons in big-time programs.

Burnett doesn't exactly fit perfectly at point guard or shooting guard, but that's OK: The Wolverines can make that work on the college level. The big thing is this: U-M flat-out needs guards after losing both Bufkin and Howard to the NBA.

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George Washington III, the lone incoming freshman, is a shooting guard, but he's unlikely to make an immediate impact. Beyond that? Returning point guard Jaelin Llewellyn could play at the same time as McDaniel, but he's returning from an ACL injury, and the Wolverines will likely bring him along slowly.

In short, Michigan needs Burnett to make an impact right away.

No. 2: C Tarris Reed Jr.

Reed was far better last year than his stats showed and was one of the most exciting Wolverines by the end of the season.

He's a defense-first center who lacks the jump shot or mobility to slide to power forward, and with Hunter Dickinson, one of the best centers in the country, also on the roster, there weren't a plethora of minutes in the middle.

But by sheer will, Reed earned his way on the court. He proved a physical force that teams had to reckon with, none more than Michigan State when he dominated the Spartans on the glass for a career-high 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. It was a wonky offensive fit, but Howard simply couldn't take him off the floor with that kind of rebound production.

Now, after Dickinson's departure for Kansas, there are plenty of minutes for Reed, even as he still has work to do on the offensive side.

His career high is eight points, but he should have an easier time on offense this year. Reed immediately slides in as the team's lead screen-setter, giving him opportunities to catch lobs as he rolls to the basket. He'll also be able to camp under the basket more, grabbing offensive rebounds for put-back chances. And he'll be freed to set up in the dunker spot, making for an easy dump-off for when his teammates drive to the basket and get cut off.

If he simply takes care of those opportunities, he should approach 10 points per game, factoring in the minutes he will likely play and the free throw attempts he should generate. (Reed attempted at least one free throw in 25 of the 34 games he played last year.)

Reed may not fill even half of the offensive production Dickinson had last year, as Dickinson is a phenomenal offensive player with natural touch, a jump shot and an elite post game.

But Reed will be an immediate upgrade on the defensive side of the floor and could serve as the type of defensive anchor the Wolverines have never had during Howard's tenure.

No. 1: F Olivier Nkamhoua

The pleasant surprise of Michigan's offseason was landing Nkamhoua as a transfer from Tennessee.

Just one week before committing to play for the Wolverines, the 6-9 Nkamhoua said his final choices were down to West Virginia and Baylor. But Howard swooped in at the last minute and convinced the big forward his best option was to take his talents to Ann Arbor.

"It's a thrill to be able to bring in an efficient and skilled player like Olivier," Howard said in a statement released by U-M after Nkamhoua had signed his papers.

After spending four seasons in Knoxville, the Helsinki, Finland, native has a lot to offer the Wolverines. He scored 10.8 points per game last year while shooting 51.3% from the field. He also started all 58 games he played over his final two campaigns, with 112 career appearances, many of them on a huge stage.

Nkamhoua is far from a flamethrower beyond the arc, but he can make the occasional 3-pointer. He hit 44.8% of his attempts in 2021-22 and 33.3% in 2022-23, albeit in limited attempts (1.3 and 1.5 per game, respectively). He's also a proven rebounder, averaging 5.2 per game over the past two years, which should lessen the load on Reed as he learns to fill a bigger role.

But the primary reason Nkamhoua is the most important player? His positional fit.

Ever since Isaiah Livers departed for the Detroit Pistons, the Wolverines have been trying to fill their power forward slot. When he was playing in Ann Arbor, the spacing and athletic ability he provided allowed the Wolverines' offense to churn.

Nkamhoua isn't Livers, but he provides a clear answer at power forward. Take him off this roster, and that's a gaping hole for this team.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 5 most important Michigan basketball players in 2023 season