Michigan basketball: Could Jett Howard be back for Purdue?
Michigan takes on No. 1 Purdue in Ann Arbor Thursday night in an attempt to get a much-needed Quad 1 win. The Wolverines aren’t even on the NCAA Tournament bubble at this point, but they’re still No. 2 in the Big Ten at 5-3, and could move within a game of the first place Boilermakers with a victory.
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The Wolverines will have a much better chance to steal a win if freshman Jett Howard can go. He missed the second half against Minnesota after apparently turning his ankle and returned to watch the second half in a boot.
There have been hints that the injury isn’t as bad as first feared. Head coach Juwan Howard said on Wednesday’s Defend the Block they were hoping for the best.
“I’m praying, and I know he is too, that it’s nothing serious. And so far the X-rays … [they’re] negative,” Juwan Howard said. “Now we’ve got to see what the swelling will look like.
“Jett’s down because he wants to be out there and help his teammates. He’s a big part of our team on both ends of the floor, and not having him out there on the floor, yes … we miss it a lot. But now it gives guys an opportunity to step up. We’re going to need Joey Baker as well as Isaiah Barnes. They’re going to get opportunities.”
Baker has made 43.5 percent of his triples this year, though he hasn’t shot many. He’s averaging 4.5 points in 14 minutes per game. Barnes has barely played, and he’s had his struggles on the defensive end.
But so has the younger Howard, who has been an outstanding scorer (14.6 PPG, 38.2 percent from long range) but is still working on being a complete player. The Wolverines struggled to put up points without him against Minnesota, though, and they could use him Thursday.
His Michigan teammates weren’t counting him out after Sunday’s 60-56 victory over the Golden Gophers.
“He’s just like me. He’s a fighter — he’s a competitor,” Michigan freshman point guard Dug McDaniel said. “Anything he could do to get back, he’s going do it and make sure he’s back.”
The freshman has started to become a better distributor lately, including a 7-assist game in a Michigan win over Northwestern. Juwan Howard praised him for his improvement in that area recently.
“A lot of people talk about Jett shooting from outside, but what he also provides is being a playmaker. He’s a guy who’s able to make plays for himself or for his teammates,” the Michigan coach said. “I’m sure at times with different types of lineups, we will be a competitive group. Offensively, we’ll figure it out, as well as defensively.”
There are going to be times when they have bigger lineups on the floor, he said Tuesday — “mix-and-match a little bit … that’s part of the job” — but despite the latest injury, there are things they can do to stay competitive.
The biggest — bringing the energy for 40 minutes, something they haven’t always done this year.
“No matter who’s out there on the floor, one thing we can control is bringing the effort,” Juwan Howard said.
Do that, and Michigan will have more than a puncher’s chance Thursday.
