Player Profile: David DeJulius will have opportunity for major role in 2019-20

The Michigan Wolverines basketball season is now under two weeks away, and we at Maize n Brew are cruisin’ through our player profiles to get you set for the season. Up next is one of the most intriguing prospects on the roster: David DeJulius.

The Story So Far

DeJulius, an East English Village Prep grad, hails from Detroit and was a four-star prospect heading in to Ann Arbor that was recruited by John Beilein. Lots of fans were psyched about the potential that DeJulius brought to the table as the No. 107 ranked player in the 2018 class, especially given Beilein’s ability to develop point guards.

That class may have been among the most star-studded that Beilein has in his career at Michigan. It included four-star Ignas Brazdeikis (now off flexing in a New York Knicks uniform), four-star Brandon Johns Jr., four-star Colin Castleton, four-star Adrien Nunez, and DeJulius.

The jury is still out on just how great that class can be, but it appears that three of them (Johns Jr., Castleton, and DeJulius) will make a big impact on the team this year.

Fans are hoping that DeJulius can turn things around after a first year full of freshman mistakes. He was a backup point guard to Zavier Simpson who mainly appeared in garbage time in games throughout the year before developing into a bit of a role late in the season.

DeJulius played in 25 games last season, but that shooting touch that he is known for just was not there. He was 1-for-15 from deep last season, and he was brought in as a high school point guard who was known for hitting three-pointers with consistency.

The freshman was also just 1-for-6 from the free throw line, which did not help his case to stay on the floor. The argument can be made at times that he was pressing, though the staff did get more comfortable as the year went on with him.

But don’t let those numbers fool you. DeJulius is possibly the most explosive point guard that the Wolverines have had offensively since Trey Burke. In his senior year of high school he was Mr. Basketball in the state of Michigan as he averaged 27 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists per game in high school.

What’s next?

DeJulius is expected to have a much bigger role on the roster, and even compete for the second guard spot next to Zavier Simpson. It seems that he will be competing with Eli Brooks and Adrien Nunez for the starting position, and if he plays to his full potential, he should earn that spot rather easily.

According to SI, DeJulius said that he expects to play a bigger role on this year’s roster at Media Days. “Coach Howard really embraced my game and who I am (as a) scorer that can also make plays for his teammates. I’m looking to go out there and do just that and whatever it takes to win.”

He also said in that interview that his goals for the season were to shoot 45% from three, have a 4:1 assist to turnover ratio, and win the Most Improved Player of the Year. If he achieves anywhere close to those goals, it will be very difficult to keep him off the basketball court.

With Franz Wagner being out with a wrist injury for the first couple weeks of the season, DeJulius’ odds of seeing playing time early are only going to rise. The lack of depth at the guard position in general will help his odds even further.

Overall, DeJulius’ play early in the season will determine how much more playing time he will get throughout the course of the 2019-20 season. He has reportedly been flashing big-time ability during the practice and scrimmage portions of camp, so here’s to hoping for a breakout campaign.