Yes, Michigan freshman Kameron Chatman plays a very similar style to former Wolverine Glenn Robinson III. Yes, he plays the same position as Robinson did. And yes, Robinson left that spot open when he declared for the NBA Draft last spring.
But no, Chatman is not looking to replace Robinson.
“I wouldn’t really compare myself to him,” he said Thursday at the team’s media day. “He was a great player, but I don’t really go out there and try to compare myself to him.”
Whether he likes it or not, Chatman will be counted on at least sometimes this season to fill the void Robinson left. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ second-round pick averaged 13.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 32.3 minutes last season for Michigan. He was also able to stretch the floor with 33 3-pointers.
Chatman feels good about his basketball IQ as he prepares to play meaningful minutes in his first season. Michigan coach John Beilein’s success at turning freshman role players into sophomore stars has been well-documented, but Chatman thinks he’s ready to step in right away.
Beilein is still undecided on a possible starting lineup, but Chatman has the potential to fill that void. Chatman is 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, Robinson 6-foot-6, 220. Chatman was the No. 38 overall recruit in the 2014 class and was listed as a small forward, but projects to be a stretch-four, much like Robinson.
“He’s going to play both forward positions as well, and if we ever got stuck, he could play in the backcourt,” Beilein said Oct. 2 before the team opened practice. “All of the freshmen are OK. What happens when we put two or three weeks together?”
The Wolverines have now put four weeks together, and Thursday at open practice, Chatman looked the part of a starter. He showed his length and athleticism on both sides, much like Robinson did. He was knocked around a bit during mock contact drills, but he is already listed at 10 pounds heavier than he is in his recruiting profile.
And despite the possible difference in physicality, he is an inch taller with a wingspan similar to Robinson’s.
While two of the members of this year’s six-man class came on late after the departures of three underclassmen to the NBA Draft, Chatman was the core of the class, rated higher than the other five.
“I think we saw early that he could be a rotation guy,” Beilein said Thursday. “We have a rating system that we use that I won’t share with you, but there’s a number we give a guy who we feel is in the rotation of top eight as a freshman, and he graded out at that.”
The coach said being in the top five and being ready to start is very different, another step up from his current spot in the top-eight rotation. But with sophomore Derrick Walton Jr., junior Caris LeVert and sophomore Zak Irvin appearing as clear starters, Chatman looks to be one of the viable candidates for the fourth spot, beside a host of big men at the ‘5.’
That doesn’t mean he can’t slide to the ‘2’ or ‘3’ to fill in.
“We have guards, we have forwards and we have a guy that plays in the middle,” Beilein said Oct. 2. “Sometimes, we’ll have four of them out there at one time that are guards. Because of Kam’s ball handling ability, I think he can play a lot of positions. This may be one of our more versatile teams, and then hopefully we have enough depth … at that center position to really be able to do some things.”
With a more versatile team, Beilein said, comes the possibility of playing zone defense to create more turnovers. Freshman forward D.J. Wilson is also a wild card, who can step in at any forward position despite being limited by a finger injury over the summer.
For now, Chatman’s skill puts him in a good spot for playing time starting with Monday’s exhibition against Wayne State. He’ll likely be playing in Robinson’s old spot, and he’ll be compared to him, whether he likes it or not.