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Coming to Crisler: 2018 SG Ignas Brazdeikis Commits to Michigan

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

Since the 2012 Michigan basketball recruiting class, John Beilein hasn’t had success in a recruiting cycle like he’s had in 2018. And things just got even better as Michigan landed its fourth commitment of the class and it’s another top100 guy as Orangeville Prep (Canada) SG Ignas Brazdeikis.

Scouting Report

Brazdeikis is a big time get for John Beilein as, like most of his gets, the four star swing is a perfect fit in the Michigan offense. He’s a big, athletic shooter than can score from all over the court. His athleticism and handles allows him to make plays off the dribble while his size and length allows him to score at the basketball. Add in his left handed stroke from the perimeter and he’s a guy that should put up very nice numbers in the maize and blue.

Brazdeikis played second fiddle to R.J. Barrett but was a very important piece for Team Canada. His per 40 averages came out to 27 points and 13 rebounds, and he showcased his good feel for the game and his ability knock down the 3-ball, despite sporting very funky shooting mechanics. Brazdeikis who is a lefty, shot 38% from deep and kept defenses honest as a floor spacer. He pushes the ball a little bit on his shot, something that will have to be adjusted down the line. He isn’t a great advanced ball handler, but has a good first step and was quick to attack closeouts on straight line drives to the rim. Somewhat limited athletically, Brazdeikis nevertheless finished very efficiently around the basket, especially going to his left. He competes consistently and is an effective rebounder with strong hands and good instincts. He proved to be willing to put the effort in on defense, but lacks a degree of lateral quickness and is somewhat caught between forward positions, while also not possessing much length (6’8 wingspan). – Source: Julian Applebome/DraftExpress

Recruitment

After Michigan landed Brandon Johns at the end of June, Brazdeikis become one of the priorities for Beilein and the staff. He was highly sought after by several big programs from around the country, including Florida, Cal, Baylor and Oregon. But it came down to the Wolverines, Gators and Vanderbilt Commodores. Brazdeikis took official visits to Michigan and Vanderbilt but didn’t even need to take the trip to Florida as he committed to UM on Friday, September 22nd.

  • Height: 6’8”
  • Weight: 215lbs
  • Hometown (School): Kaunas, Lithuania (Orangeville Prep; Ontario, Canada)
  • Notable Offers: Florida, Cal, Baylor, Oregon, Vanderbilt
  • Rankings: Scout (4*, #42 overall) – Rivals (4*) – 247 (4*, #45 overall) – ESPN (N/A)
  • Composite Ranking: Four star, #91 overall, #22 SF, #1 in Ontario

Highlights

As for the Rest of the Class

Brazdeikis is the 4th overall commitment, the first foreign-born commitment and the second wing player in the class. Now, all eyes point towards the #1 overall player in the class, SF RJ Barrett, as well as four star top100 G Noah Locke and SF Justin Ahrens. Landing either of Barrett or Locke would be fantastic as the final piece of the class but, out of all three, Ahrens looks like the best bet. Though it’s unknown where things stand with him after this commitment. But Barrett doesn’t look to be a complete long shot as Barrett is set to officially visit Ann Arbor at the end of September and, whataya know, Brazdeikis happens to be pretty close with the fellow Canadian standout. To add into the Canadian connections, even former Michigan standout Nik Stauskas is getting in on the pitch to Barrett as he tweeted about him joining Iggy in the class. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up too much as the likes of Duke and Kentucky are seen as the favorites here.

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Garrett Fishaw
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