Another huge transfer portal crystal ball for Michigan basketball

Donaldson, who was at the Wolverines’ spring game, along with Gayle, has already committed. He looks like Michigan’s next starting point guard.

Gayle is likely another starter. He averaged 13.5 points for Ohio State last season. He shot just 28 percent from 3-point range, but he’s a good shooter. The fact that he averaged double figures without having a good year from the perimeter shows what kind of player he can be.

What a Roddy Gayle commitment would mean for Michigan basketball

I’m excited about Gayle. Anytime you can add a double-digit scorer from the Big Ten Conference, it’s a no-brainer, especially at a position of need.

However, I can’t help but wonder what this means for Johnell Davis. There have been rumblings about issues with admissions or possibly NIL preventing him from joining Dusty May in Ann Arbor.

There was a reported visit at one time, but the visit didn’t happen. The report was wrong and my gut tells me that Davis isn’t coming and Gayle is the next option on the board.

I don’t see Gayle coming to Michigan basketball to come off the bench. It’s possible that Rubin Jones could. You never know and if Davis wants to come, you find room. But my feeling is that Gayle, who has two years of eligibility, just like Donaldson, would be coming as the presumed starting two.

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 3.1 assists and over four rebounds. Dusty May wants multiple guards who can shoot, create, and handle the ball. Gayle can do that. He can also get to the bucket. And if you are worried about shooting, he’s shot better than 80 percent from the free-throw line.

Gayle made 42.9 percent of his 3-pointers in 2022-23, with a lower volume. So his 3-point percentage is probably somewhere in the middle. But if he can replicate the rest of his game and shoot 35 percent from next season from beyond the arc, he’ll be a dangerous weapon for Michigan basketball.

And If Davis isn’t coming, Gayle is a damn good consolation prize.