Michigan could be pursing top 3 transfer portal target

ANN ARBOR, MI — Michigan saw a very fitting end to the 2022-23 college basketball season, suffering a narrow, last minute loss to the Vanderbilt Commadores. Now, heading into the fifth year of Juwan Howard’s tenure, the Michigan basketball team has many question marks, and will likely be hitting the transfer portal pretty hard once again. A name for Michigan Wolverines fans to watch is Jameer Nelson Jr., whose father played for Phil Martelli at St. Josephs. Ahead of next season, the Wolverines may be eyeing the top 3 portal recruit.

Transfer Portal Breakdown

Hate for you to feel old, but Jameer Nelson Jr is in the portal

Explosive combo guard pic.twitter.com/EegqjNdGn5

— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) March 14, 2023

Michigan basketball could be pursing top 3 portal recruit

Right now, Jameer Nelson Jr. ranks as the No. 3 player in the transfer portal per 247 Sports. Nelson earned his status as a top 3 portal recruit by averaging 20.6 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, 3.6 assists per game, and shooting 44.5% from the floor a season ago. Nelson has a few years of experience under his belt now — from 2019-2021 he played for George Washington in the A10, and from 2021-2023 he saw action with the Delaware Blue Hens in the CAA. Now, he is looking to move up once again, and could be searching for a major program like Michigan basketball to call his new home.

Right now, it appears as if the Michigan basketball team has a lot going for it when it comes to point guards, though we are still unsure of who will be sticking around. Additionally, Juwan Howard has a long history of hitting the transfer portal for point guards, and a top 3 portal recruit with ties to Phil Martelli could be too good of a deal for Howard to pass up.

What do the experts think?

Here is what 247 Sports has to say about Jameer Nelson Jr. and his top 3 portal recruit status:

If the name rings a bell, it should: Jameer Nelson Jr. is the son of former NBA player Jameer Nelson and like his father, junior has a whole lot of game.

He may lack height but he is strong and highly athletic with an explosive first step and burst of speed. He’s very dynamic with the ball in his hands, making for a major weapon out of ball-screens and in isolations where he can get downhill and finish at the rim or create with others.

If Nelson Jr. had better shooters around him this season, with his playmaking ability, his assist numbers would have been much higher and with him expected to make a leap next year to a high major program, I’d anticipate us seeing that happen.

Nelson Jr. is very talented and is going to make a major impact next season wherever he lands. If he elevates his jumper back up to the 36-percent we saw the season prior, it won’t be a surprise to see us start talking about him as a NBA Draft prospect.

On the recruiting front, Nelson Jr. is playing his cards close to his vest and has not shared the schools involved yet.

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