ANN ARBOR -- For a couple of days at least, Brandon Johns Jr. was not a freshman finding his way but a confident, productive senior.
Leading up to Michigan's latest game, Johns played the role of South Carolina's Chris Silva on the scout team. Silva was first team All-SEC last season, and Johns did his best to impersonate him.
According to Michigan assistant coach DeAndre Haynes, Johns was banging in the paint, dunking, and knocking down 15-footers. He had his best two days of practice.
"But when he's Brandon Johns for Michigan, he's not doing it," Haynes said. "We told him, 'You shouldn't have to be Silva for you to play this way. You have the same game.'"
Johns did not see the court against the real Silva and South Carolina on Saturday, as head coach John Beilein stuck with the eight-man rotation he's used all season. But Beilein wants more depth, and Johns and fellow freshman David DeJulius -- who have each played in seven of Michigan's 10 games, averaging just four minutes -- are next in line.
Only eight teams out of the 351 Division I schools have given fewer minutes to their bench (according to KenPom.com). Beilein has stated his preference for playing seven or eight guys, allowing all of them to get into a rhythm when they're on the floor. "Some of the best teams are doing exactly what we do," Beilein said after Saturday's 89-78 win.
But he has also acknowledged the need to develop others in the event of serious foul trouble or an injury. Michigan's schedule the rest of December -- three games against subpar competition, with a week between each -- should provide opportunities for that development.
Johns, ranked as the No. 70 recruit in the country, is loaded with athleticism. The 6-foot-8, 225-pounder has worked at the power forward and center spot so far, and Michigan could certainly use another frontcourt contributor.
Michigan's coaches remind the freshmen and others who aren't seeing much playing time that they have two hours every day in practice to prove they belong on the court.
Speaking on Johns before the South Carolina game, Beilein said, "He's just got to show us in practice that he's got a lot of energy, that he can make differences in games, (that) he can pick up things quickly.
"Usually it's defense. Everybody makes too much of some intricate system we run here. I dummy it down for those guys. It's about defense. Are you going to sit there and watch the ball screen and not call the coverage and then not cover the coverage? It's pretty simple, but for many freshmen it takes some time."
DeJulius (6-foot, 190) was a big-time scoring point guard in high school who arrived at Michigan physically ready for the college game. Beilein said DeJulius has the talent to be effective on both ends of the floor, but grasping a scouting report that changes game to game is a challenge for any first-year player, especially a point guard. Beilein compared it to a quarterback. "He's got a lot he has to do that the other guys don't have to do."
Haynes called DeJulius one of the hardest workers on the team, and said he's been leaning on point guards Zavier Simpson and Eli Brooks. Haynes, who was also once a star point guard coming out of Detroit, keeps DeJulius positive. "'When your time comes, I don't care if it's one minute, two minutes, 20 minutes,'" Haynes tells him. "'You have to be ready.'"
Beilein isn't willing to experiment with unproven players in competitive games. Michigan is 10-0 with the top-ranked defense per KenPom.com. All it takes is one player missing a defensive assignment to allow a basket.
Michigan hosts Western Michigan (ranked 233rd in the NCAA's NET rankings) on Saturday, Air Force (243) the following Saturday, and Binghamton (321) the next Sunday, Dec. 30, before resuming Big Ten play in January.
What should be lopsided games, plus all the practices in between, should give DeJulius and Johns plenty of chances to display their skills. Haynes saw it last week from Johns.
"When he's the other team's best player, he's a great player," Haynes said. "He showed that. Now he's trying to put it in a Michigan uniform."
Author's note: If you have a question about Michigan basketball that you'd like answered in an upcoming story, please email me at akahn1@mlive.com.