{"id":323144,"date":"2025-10-22T06:27:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T06:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/323144\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T06:27:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T06:27:17","slug":"michigan-lacking-offensive-showrunner-behind-cadeau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/323144\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan lacking offensive showrunner behind Cadeau"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Elliot Cadeau was in the game, he made things look easy against<\/a> Cincinnati.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the junior guard\u2019s team-leading 31 minutes Friday, he recorded seven assists to just two turnovers and got to the line 15 times. He was the engine that drove the No. 7 Michigan men\u2019s basketball team\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n

But when he wasn\u2019t in the game, the Wolverines looked different. Cadeau is the only established true point guard on Michigan\u2019s roster. And without him on the floor against the Bearcats, the Wolverines\u2019 offense looked more clunky, sluggish and turnover prone.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of our turnovers, we were trying to get entries with our non-point guards in,\u201d Michigan coach Dusty May said Monday. \u201cThey\u2019re being pressured up top, over-pressured, and at that point we should open up some space and just try to drive that over-pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Cadeau generally stayed clean, his teammates combined for 18 turnovers against Cincinnati. Beside Cadeau, graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg and senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. took on significant perimeter ball-handling roles Friday. And they committed four and eight turnovers, respectively.<\/p>\n

These marks are especially worrying for the Wolverines given their turnover struggles<\/a> a season ago. Last season, Michigan had only one experienced starting point guard on the roster \u2014 just like it does this year \u2014 and it had the most turnovers per game in the Big Ten.<\/p>\n

Aside from turnovers, the Wolverines\u2019 shot quality also dipped when Cadeau was out Friday. Without its point guard to jumpstart the offense, Michigan\u2019s wings too often resorted to sizing up their own defender on the perimeter, slowing the game down.<\/p>\n

The Wolverines\u2019 first offensive possession of the game without Cadeau was emblematic of this trend. After a made basket, Lendeborg walked the ball up the floor. After a pass deflection, Lendeborg found Gayle. Two of Gayle\u2019s teammates crowded him on the left wing, trying to screen for him, but Gayle darted in the opposite direction toward the rim and was called for a charge. Three possessions later, Cadeau was back in the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we had one quick swing the entire game,\u201d May said. \u201cAlmost every time we caught the ball off the first pass out of the ball screen, we tried to play one-on-one against a set defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

One candidate to step up in Cadeau\u2019s time off the floor is sophomore guard L.J. Cason. Cadeau himself said Sept. 30 at Michigan Media Day that Cason is \u201cdefinitely the primary ball-handler\u201d whenever he isn\u2019t in the game. But Cason and Cadeau are different players.<\/p>\n

While Cadeau is a passer first and foremost, Cason\u2019s first look is often to score on his own. Last season, he averaged one assist and 0.9 turnovers in 12 minutes per game. As he continues to develop his playmaking skills, it\u2019s still a question how far he can get this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cL.J. knows his long-term potential at the highest levels of basketball is playing the point, so he\u2019s gonna continue to work on being a better point guard,\u201d May said Sept. 30. \u201c\u2026 I think there\u2019s gonna be nights when we need L.J. to come in and facilitate, and I think there\u2019s gonna be other nights where we\u2019re gonna say \u2018Hey L.J., go do what you do and make some stuff happen.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s key that, at least for now, \u201cfacilitate\u201d and L.J. doing what he does are two different things to May. Over the course of the season, Cason\u2019s development will be central to how well the Wolverines\u2019 offense can run without their lead guard.<\/p>\n

Exhibition games are for trying things out, and between the Bearcats and a matchup with St. John\u2019s this Saturday, Michigan has given itself opportunities to see what works and what doesn\u2019t in the backcourt. Lendeborg and Gayle, as well as graduate guard Nimari Burnett and freshman guard Trey McKenney, all got their chances to try and run the offense against Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

But none matched Cadeau\u2019s efficiency, eye for passing lanes and knack for keeping the ball out of harm\u2019s way. As the regular season draws closer, the dip in offensive production without Cadeau is a worry for the Wolverines.<\/p>\n

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