Jon Teske is very different from the player he’s trying to replace on the Michigan men’s basketball team. Former center Moritz Wagner was an offensive…
Jon Teske is very different from the player he’s trying to replace on the Michigan men’s basketball team.
Former center Moritz Wagner was an offensive playmaker. Wagner could shoot from outside at a high level and take other big men off the dribble. Even when he was off, the threat of his shooting opened things up for Michigan and spaced the floor.
Those skills made Wagner the most important player on Michigan’s team last year, and helped him become a first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers this past summer.
Teske, a 7-foot-1,260-pound junior center, has attempted just two 3-point attempts in his first two years at Michigan.
That could change this year. Teske, who Michigan coach John Beilein says is the early favorite to start at center, worked on his outside shooting during the offseason.
“I kind of always had that in my back pocket,” Teske said. “In high school, I used to do that a lot. I just didn’t do it a lot here, and now that Mo’s gone, it’s my turn to step up, and I think that with my capability shooting the 3 I can really stretch the floor and help us win games.”
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As Wagner’s backup, Teske mostly earned his keep on the defensive end, proving to be a presence down low who could alter shots and keep teams out of the paint. He says he was just trying to do his job and know his role — and shooting 3s wasn’t part of that equation.
Now, though, he’s willing to shoot more. Part of that is being more confident. Wagner is in the NBA, and Teske understands his current status as the early favorite to replace Wagner.
“I know that if I make a mistake,” Teske said, “(I can) just play through it and keep going.”
With the Wolverines just over a month out from the start of the regular season, it remains to be seen whether Teske’s words will hold true.
He believes in himself, though, and in describing his 3-point shooting from his high school days, provided a glimpse at what a higher volume of outside shooting could look like for him.
“I’d probably shoot 2 to 3 a game, 1 to 2 a game (in high school),” Teske said. “Not force anything, just trailing the play or something, pick and pop, knowing my spots where to shoot.”
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The team’s season opener isn’t until Nov. 6, which means Teske must wait to display his shooting ability in an actual game. For now, he’s hoping to impress Beilein in practice and scrimmages. Teske explained that Beilein “keeps track of everything,” and will take down a player’s makes and misses, among other stats.
“He’s seen me grown,” Teske said. “I’ve been able to show him that I’m capable of shooting the 3.”
So far, so good.
“Jon Teske has shot the ball really well,“ Beilein said. „Having a big man that can shoot, you all see what can happen. It made everyone else better last year. Having Jon be able to do that, and Colin (Castleton) be able to do that, and Austin’s more of a 15-foot guy, those are big to get those big men that can shoot.”
Contact Orion Sang: osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang.
