In Dusty May’s short time with Michigan, he managed to acquire big man talents who flourished in his system, impacted winning, and later became first round draft picks.
Danny Wolf came over to Ann Arbor from Yale as a “No Stone Unturned” prospect. May tapped into his playmaking upside, deploying him as a pick-and-roll ball-handler before he was selected late in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Aday Mara’s stock had floundered—he came in from Spain as a potential one-and-done, but then had two lackluster seasons at UCLA. Once he transferred to Michigan, May unlocked Mara as a two-way juggernaut with his rim protection, play-finishing, and passing. In the process, Michigan won a national championship, and Mara became a lottery pick.
Now, May is off to Dallas to help the Mavericks embark on a new era led by Cooper Flagg. Meanwhile, Michigan has another transfer big man with potential to see his stock rise in his first season in their program: Moustapha Thiam.
The 7’2” center out of Senegal is entering his junior year after spending his first two seasons with the University of Central Florida and Cincinnati. Thiam has untapped potential on both sides of the floor with his play-finishing, rim protection, scheme versatility, and willingness to expand the horizons of his game. Because of his combination of tantalizing measurements and intriguing skill set, Moustapha Thiam has a roadmap to join Wolf and Mara as Michigan big men who hear their names called in the first round.
Diving into the skill set
Thiam’s primary source of impact is predicated around the rim on both sides of the floor.
Last season, Thiam shot 68.9% at the rim, per Synergy Sports. His size and length make him an obvious play-finisher when there’s downhill motion — whether it’s out of pick-and-rolls, dump-offs, or lobs when he’s lingering near the dunker spot. I’d like to see his shot diet shift a bit more to amplify his play-finishing. There’s a 10% gap between his post-ups—his most common play type at 32.2% of his possessions—and his second-most frequent play type (cutting). Regardless, his play-finishing should be a focal point of his offensive impact at Michigan and beyond due to his size, catch radius, and mobility as a cutter and roller.
Thiam has the tools to be a potent rim protector. His size and length can act in a really influential way, where he can block, alter, and deter shots. He moves his feet well and maintains active hands, which reinforces his presence in center-field or drop coverages. His active hands parlay into generating deflections and steals pretty well for a player his size, as he boasts a 1.6 Steal Percentage. From a production standpoint, his numbers require nuance. His Block Percentage slipped from 9.1 his freshman year to 6.8 last season, despite playing roughly the same amount of minutes. However, nuance is required; the raw numbers don’t always tell the full picture of what a player is asked to do within the scheme.
Do they need to come up to the perimeter to defend the level of ball screens? If so, it’s going to pull them away from the basket from time to time.
Are they asked not to chase blocks to avoid foul trouble? It’s worth noting that Thiam’s foul rate went down from 3.8 fouls committed per 40 minutes to 2.9.
In addition, block numbers don’t paint the full picture of the influence of their presence. Despite the decrease in his blocking production, opponents shot 8% worse at the rim when he was on the floor, converting at a 48.6% clip. The data and tools suggest that Thiam’s rim protection will be leaned on heavily in Michigan’s scheme, similar to how they deployed Mara.
As alluded to, Thiam doesn’t have to primarily be a drop-coverage big man. He’s mobile enough to come up to the level of ball screens. From there, his mobility and length can be valuable in space to either contest shots, cut off passing lanes, or stifle drives. These skills enable him to also hold his own on an island when caught in cross-matches. Nobody will mistake him for a switchable big man; he’s far from being a stiff, though. While his defensive presence may be the most pronounced near the basket, where he can haul in rebounds and influence shots at the rim, Thiam’s versatility will be a handy trait when it comes to adjustments and to his role viability at the NBA level.
Finally, Thiam’s game is intriguing to me, because he’s a 7’2” big man willing to expand the horizons of his game. Granted, it could be a fault, because his scoring efficiency for a player his size is unremarkable. Thiam had an Effective Field Goal Percentage of 54.9%— the third-lowest among high-major 7-footers last season. Nonetheless, he’s testing the capabilities of his touch. Per Synergy Sports, he generated 0.93 points per possession on runners, ranking in the 89th percentile in efficiency. It’s a nice move to use to beat defenses if they wall up the paint, as his shot is virtually unblockable at its apex. The push shot has become feathery, which empowers Thiam to test out the range a little bit. In addition, he’s willing to face up and rise over opponents in the mid-range—which he often showed when flashing to the free-throw line, catching the ball in the mid-post, or coming rolling off a screen.
He has tested the expansion of his shot heavily throughout his collegiate career, shooting 2.0 three-point attempts per game but converting on 29.0% of his attempts. In his final seven games of his season, he made 39.1% of his threes. The sample size is minuscule, so I don’t want to harp on the percentages. However, he attempted three or more triples in five of these games, while averaging 18.4 points per game.
I’m not suggesting that Thiam becomes a stretch big. In fact, I want him to continue increasing his presence as a rim-runner and play-finisher. However, the intrigue behind the expansion of his game is centered around developing counters and different ways to attack a defense. The outside shot makes his next move out of the pick-and-roll more unpredictable, which is also good for the ball-handler coming off the screen. The push shot near the basket and the mid-range jumper give him an outlet off the short roll or off flashes when the basket is walled up. These instances are sweet curveballs to his game that can add to his impact, as long as it doesn’t break the offensive flow or severely diminish his efficiency.
Thiam possesses an intriguing blend of two-way rim influence, mobility, and touch that should serve as a foundation for a big year in a new system.
Areas of Improvement
When assessing Thiam’s probability of being the next Wolverine transfer big man to jump to the league, these areas of his game stand out as necessary improvements.
Shot selection: As alluded to, Thiam’s efficiency and shot diet leave a bit to be desired. While the expansion of his touch is quite fascinating, he can settle for contested shots away from the basket a bit too much, primarily when facing up in the post. Transferring his shot diet from heavier post-ups or more cutting and rolling should help boost his efficiency, especially with the playmaking prowess of senior Elliott Cadeau.
Rebounding impact: Thiam is a sound rebounder, as he held an 8.8 Offensive Rebounding Percentage and 20.4 Defensive Rebounding Percentage. However, Cincinnati’s offensive rebounding rate increased by 4.6 when he was off the floor, per Hoop Explorer. Rebounding is a nuanced conversation on an individual basis. Chasing blocks and lurking around the perimeter can prevent a player from being in good rebounding position. The elite rebounding of one player could suppress those numbers for others in terms of raw numbers and on/off impact. Cincinnati had Baba Miller to lean on for work on the glass in non-Thiam minutes. To suggest improvement, added strength could tie into rebounding impact as well. Thiam isn’t a bad rebounder by any means. However, I’d like to see a more profound impact on the glass, primarily offensively.
Strength: Thiam has imposing physical tools, but he can use a bit more functional strength. It stands out primarily when he’s backpedaling when defending drives, as he can lose balance if he faces contact from the driver. Given his defensive impact, it may be nitpicking. However, he needs to add some mass to better absorb contact inside.
Michigan has a recent history of elevating the talent of incoming big men who not only impact winning for their lone season with them, but also get the preparation for going into the NBA.
Moustapha Thiam checks a lot of boxes for the modern big man. He possesses advantageous size. He’s money when it comes to finishing plays. He’s a potent rim protector that’s capable of defending in space. His willingness to test the horizons of his game can determine where he ultimately lands within his band of outcomes.
With that said, Thiam easily has the tools to follow Danny Wolf and Aday Mara as Michigan transfer big men who make a resounding impact in Ann Arbor and catapult up into the first round of the incoming draft.
Don’t be surprised if Moustapha Thiam is a bona fide first round pick in the 2027 NBA Draft.