Roddy Gayle Jr. working to restore his 3-point prowess

Three months ago, just after the transfer portal closed, Michigan men’s basketball coach Dusty May addressed the media regarding the new coaching staff and roster. And he was honest about his new batch of players — even if it meant singling someone out.

“I think out of all the guys we’ve signed there’s only one one of them that has a lesser 3-point percentage than we’d prefer,” May said May 7. “And (junior guard Roddy Gayle Jr.) shot it really well the year before that, and we think he’s a much better shooter than those numbers indicate last year. That’s the feel versus the science.”

Of course, May believes in Gayle to rebound. He believes Gayle’s measly 28.4 shooting percentage from beyond the arc can rally back closer to the 42.9 mark he posted with lesser volume as a freshman. But the stark contrast in those numbers warrants concern.

And as it now turns out, behind closed doors in the practice facility, May is making sure the transfer is becoming the shooter that he feels Gayle can be.

“This summer, he’s been having me hunt threes a lot,” Gayle said Thursday. “Obviously I didn’t shoot the ball pretty well last season. So this year, I’ve been making extreme strides in that. He knows my capability of being able to get to a basket, but he’s prioritizing being able to shoot the three and getting comfortable in those situations.”

As May outlined soon after being hired and affirmed again Thursday, he wants to play with pace. His vision is for his team to catch defenders off guard and punish them both at the rim or, ideally, from 3-point range.

Gayle fits part of the bill. He averaged 13.5 points per game last season, while being particularly effective at finishing at the rim and drawing fouls — a skill that May has called organic rather than coachable.But his lack of efficiency from long range keeps him from being the perfect fit for May’s intended system. That can partially be explained by the wrist injury that Gayle sustained and played through last season.

“I messed up my wrist last season, torn TFCC in my right wrist,” Gayle said. “… (This summer) I’ve been amazing and feel 100%.”

While that injury didn’t occur until late last season, making it hard to call it the driving factor behind Gayle’s struggles, his health this summer has allowed him to focus on improving his shot, or more perhaps more importantly, his shot selection.

Last season, a large portion of Gayle’s 3-point attempts were at the end of the shot clock or just generally ill-advised. As May pointed out, in open looks in transition, Gayle was what May expects him to be: an above-average 3-point shooter.

In May’s high-tempo offense, transition 3-pointers will likely be a bulk of Gayle’s looks. But Gayle is still expected to become a better shooter in all situations, it’s the last tool he needs to fit into the system.

“We were excited about him on a number of levels,” May said May 7. “I could probably go on for about another 30 minutes talking about Roddy. I think he’s a special guy.”

He’s a player that’s already proven he can be a prolific scorer in the Big Ten. May knows he’s a big pick up, but he also knows where he must improve. And this summer he’s made the expectation clear — Gayle’s got to hunt threes.

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