How Michigan is still improving its defense after a perfect week

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After winning the Players Era Festival with three blowouts of San Diego State, Auburn, and Gonzaga, Michigan became the No. 1-ranked team on KenPom, both overall and defensively. For Justin Joyner, the Wolverines’ assistant coach with a defensive background, the biggest improvement for Michigan involves recognizing its own ability.

“We’re still adjusting to the rim protection that we have, right?” Joyner said Thursday. “You’ve got Aday (Mara) behind you, you’ve got Morez (Johnson) behind you, you’ve got Yax (Lendeborg) behind you. You have elite-level rim protection behind you, so our guards understanding not fouling down, allowing our size to change shots at the rim.”

Junior center Aday Mara, sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. and graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg compose one of the best frontcourts in college basketball.

In the select minutes when all three are on the court together, it’s essentially impossible for the other team to score underneath the basket. Even when one or two of them are out on the floor, opposing drives are turned away, and awkward mid-range shots are forced.

But what the rest of the Wolverines do defensively while any combination of Mara, Johnson and Lendeborg is in or around the paint is a point of emphasis in Michigan’s practices this week.

“They tell you to wall up and not foul and swipe down because you got Morez and Aday behind you ready to block shots, then you go do it,” graduate guard Nimari Burnett said. “And not only does that help you with your own defensive possessions as a team, but it helps you stay out of foul trouble as well. Having those guys on the back line, man, it makes a huge difference, and it’s hard for teams to score in the paint, so it’s like, now they gotta take tough jump shots that are contested over our perimeter guards outside, and we have tons of length and size on that as well.”