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‘BTPowerhouse 25’ - No. 3 Hunter Dickinson

BTPowerhouse's staff counts down the best players in the Big Ten heading into the 2021-’22 season.

By Thomas Beindit
NCAA Basketball: Big Ten Media Days Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

In the months leading up to the 2021-’22 college basketball season, BTPowerhouse will be releasing a series called the ‘BTPowerhouse 25,’ which features the Top 25 players in the Big Ten as voted by members of the staff. All players set to be on Big Ten rosters for next season were eligible during the staff vote with their top selection receiving 25 points and their 25th and final selection receiving 1 point.

Today's edition will take a brief look at Hunter Dickinson of the Michigan Wolverines, who came in at No. 3 in the rankings. The Wolverines are hoping to build off last year’s Big Ten title with another NCAA Tournament run this year.

'BTPowerhouse 25' - No. 3 Hunter Dickinson:

  • Eligibility: Sophomore
  • Career Totals: 28 games, 727 minutes, 394 points, 206 rebounds, 25 assists, 9 steals
  • 2020-’21 Averages: 26.0 MPG, 14.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.3 SPG
  • Positional Role: Center

Entering Juwan Howard’s third season, Michigan is now a Howard-eseque team and Dickinson is a perfect example of it. The roster is loaded with elite talent and playmakers. Dickinson figures to be one of the Big Ten and Michigan’s best players this season.

-Player Strengths

Dickinson has a plethora of skills that make him one of the Big Ten’s most gifted players. He’s a 7-foot-1 big man who can play with his back to the basket or in transition. He can also hit a jump shot when needed and was one of the league’s best players at getting to the line last season.

Additionally, Dickinson does many of the little things you like to see as well. He fouls, but not a ton for a big man and does a great job on defense. In fact, Dickinson was fifth in the league in defensive block rate last season and could be the Big Ten’s best shot blocker this season.

-Areas for Improvement

There really aren’t many holes in Dickinson’s game. That might sound simplistic, but there’s a reason Dickinson enters this season among many All-Big Ten lists. He’s one of the best players in the league and nation. Any criticism is simply nitpicking.

With that said, if Dickinson is going to elevate his game further, it’s going to have to come from deep and his back to the basket. Dickinson will never be an elite threat from deep, but he went 0-for-4 from three last season. If he can even become a modest threat from three, he’ll be even tougher to guard. Additionally, he needs to get more unpredictable when his back is to the basket and improve at using both hands.

-Player Projection

Michigan is widely regarded as a top 10 team entering this season and Dickinson is a big part of that evaluation. He has a polished game that should fit in well with Michigan’s needs this season. All the pieces are there for an incredible year.

Expect Dickinson to put up massive numbers for the Wolverines this season, likely leading the team in a variety of statistical categories. If all goes well, he should be in contention for Player of the Year.

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'BTPowerhouse 25' Rankings:

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