Isaiah Livers Returning For Senior Season

Despite a cloudy offseason regarding his future, Michigan basketball's Isaiah Livers has decided to return to school for his senior year.

After an injury-plagued junior campaign, Isaiah Livers announced that he will be returning to Michigan for his senior season on his Instagram page Friday afternoon.

"What a crazy couple of months. However, I have learned a great deal from this process, and I'm extremely excited to return to Ann Arbor," Livers said in a statement. "My family and I are so appreciative of Coach Howard and all the staff for letting us really explore my dream of playing in the NBA."

During the shortened 2019-20 season, the 6-7, 230-pound Livers started 13 games for the Wolverines and provided spot minutes in eight more contests as he battled a nagging ankle injury. During that time, Michigan's leading scorer posted 12.9 points, four rebounds, and just over one assist per game, though it was clear that he was not 100% for much of the year.

It's a great day!#GoBlue 〽️🏀#MaskUpMichigan https://t.co/aevnO86bMi

— Juwan Howard (@JuwanHoward) July 17, 2020

With Livers back, Michigan will field a lineup with a pair of wing players that can provide a scoring touch while also getting others involved in Livers and Franz Wagner. On offense, the two have a similar type of style as skilled shooters who can also use their length to get to the rim, and that trait will be often-utilized as U-M chases a conference crown. Those two players will likely comprise the bulk of Michigan's minutes at the small forward and power forward positions.

During Livers' first two full seasons in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines were able to eclipse the 30-win mark each year, and the team advanced to at least the NCAA Sweet 16 each time. Last season, however, Michigan had accumulated a 19-12 record when the season was canceled, but U-M's rebuilding year was expected since it was head coach Juwan Howard's first year in the program.

By withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft, Livers now has an opportunity to improve his draft stock as long as he can stay healthy. While some draft projections listed Livers as a possible second round selection, others left the Michigan scorer off their board entirely, so another season in the maize and blue can only help boost his profile.

In terms of the upcoming season, a healthy Livers should be able to take a step forward as the team's unquestioned leader in 2020-21. It would not be shocking to see Livers put up 17-5-5 numbers (points, rebounds and assists), and a second-team All-Big Ten selection could be the floor for a healthy season.

Over the past couple months, Livers had expressed that he was torn regarding his decision of whether to go pro or not. During this time period, potential draft picks were allowed to conduct Zoom calls with NBA franchises because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but athletes could not undergo live workouts like usual. As a result, Livers took in all the feedback he could before deciding that a senior season at Michigan would be the best route to take moving forward.

At the moment, Michigan is scheduled to open its season with a matchup against Georgia State on Nov. 10, but that contest is in jeopardy due to the current coronavirus situation.

What are your thoughts on how Michigan's season will go with the added boost of having Livers in the lineup? Is there a chance that he ascends to first-team All-Big Ten status? Let us know!