Mike Boynton Jr. had plenty to unpack in his first local media session as Michigan’s head coach, and two of the biggest topics were the health of newcomers Jalen Reed and Marcus Moller.
Reed, the LSU transfer, took a meaningful step forward on Tuesday when he moved into non-contact work for the first time since arriving in Ann Arbor. That’s a notable checkpoint for a player whose recent injury history has been rough.
Reed suffered an Achilles injury last November in a non-conference game against Drake, which ended his season, and it marked the second straight year he was lost to a season-ending injury after tearing his ACL in December of the 2024-25 season. He appeared in only six games last year and averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Boynton didn’t offer a firm timetable for Reed’s full recovery, but the coach made it clear the big man is moving in the right direction.
“Jalen Reed is going non-contact (Tuesday) for the first time since he’s been here,” Boynton said. “He’ll be out there with a group of people now.
It’s been more individual shooting on the side. He’s been with our trainer a lot, so today he’ll get out there and he’ll be on the court with four other people and cutting and jumping.
There will be other bodies around him, but he just won’t be screening and blocking out and stuff like that.”
Reed is one of three transfers Michigan added this offseason, joining J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam.
Boynton said Reed should, at minimum, “provide us some depth inside.” Given the lack of college experience in that part of the roster, Reed’s recovery matters a lot as the season approaches.
Back in May, Reed sounded upbeat about where he stood in rehab when he spoke with Tim McCormick on Hail Media’s “ GO BLUE HOOPS ”.
“I feel great,” Reed said. “Obviously I’ve had to pivot in the rehab, switching locations, but I’m back on track with rehab, man.
I’m in a good spot for where I can be, being five months (after surgery). And I’m on the court getting these shots, working on my game as much as I can, in the weight room … So I feel good.
I’m in a good place for rehab.
“I’m probably gonna feel really good. I’ll probably be playing basketball by the time opening night comes, but I don’t know if I’ll be suiting up on opening night. I don’t want to make any promises.”
Moller’s situation is different, and Boynton was careful not to say much yet about the 7-foot-3 freshman center. Moller, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January and later declared cancer-free in May, arrived in Ann Arbor on Monday night. Since Michigan’s medical staff has not yet evaluated him, Boynton said he wanted to wait before commenting further.
“I probably shouldn’t speak on Marcus’ situation yet,” Boynton said. “He literally just showed up here yesterday and I don’t even know if he’s seen our doctors.
Obviously he’s got a unique situation, so I probably should just hold on commenting on him until at least I know what our doctors feel about where he is. Maybe get back to you on him.”
Moller could very well need time to adjust to the college level and learn behind the players ahead of him, but there’s obvious intrigue around his upside. In 2024 at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket, he averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three.
Michigan’s front court still has questions, but Tuesday’s updates gave the program a little more reason to feel good about where things stand. Reed is taking real steps back toward game action, and Moller is now in the building with a chance to settle in while the staff gets a better read on his health. Both situations will be worth watching as Boynton’s first season in Ann Arbor gets closer.
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