Bad things overlap. As far as commitment goes, at least for Michigan basketball, as the Wolverines got their second point Friday night.
First, new Michigan State basketball head coach Dusty Maye has acquired Justin Pippen. Justin, the son of former NBA legend Scottie Pippen, is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the entire 2024 class and is ranked No. 101 overall by the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Pippen is a combo guard who can play either guard spot. He can defend, he can shoot the three, he can create shots. These are all things Rubin Jones can do too.
Jones, a 6-foot-5 graduate transfer from North Texas, is the second Michigan freshman basketball player of the day to announce his participation, following Pippen.
Jones is an all-conference defensive player. He's also a 6-foot-5 combo guard and wing who could play as the Wolverines' No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3. He also doubled his scoring average last season, scoring 12.1 points per game along with 3.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Oh, and by the way, Jones shot 41 percent from 3-point range, averaging 1.6 3-pointers per game.
Jones is left-handed and was very effective in ball screen situations last season. He has great movement to the left baseline, but most of his shots are at the rim or the 3-point line. Add defense and it's exactly what Michigan basketball needs.
This is not a move that will be talked about throughout the college basketball world. Jones wasn't even ranked in the top 100 of players in the transfer portal. But this guy is a winner. He is a member of conference champions, NIT champions and NCAA tournament teams.
Michigan basketball needs a winner, just Jones. They especially need a player like Jones who can defend, handle, create and shoot the three-ball.