Hoosier State of Mind
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Indiana Basketball: The Potential of Indiana’s Backcourt Next Season

By Trevor Gersmehl

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 02: Devonte Green #11 of the Indiana Hoosiers drives past Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at Breslin Center on February 2, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 02: Devonte Green #11 of the Indiana Hoosiers drives past Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at Breslin Center on February 2, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 14: Romeo Langford #0 of the Indiana Hoosiers walks down the court after a turnover in the 66-51 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Assembly Hall on January 14, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 14: Romeo Langford #0 of the Indiana Hoosiers walks down the court after a turnover in the 66-51 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Assembly Hall on January 14, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Systematic Fit

Romeo Langford is an NBA lottery pick for a reason. He has a smooth handle, a natural ability to create his own shot, sneaky athleticism, etc. That’s hard to replace, and I am by no means suggesting Devonte Green possesses a skillset greater than Langford. However, when mixed with Rob Phinisee, the fit in Archie Miller’s system may be better with Green than with Langford.

Indiana desperately needed shooting this past season, and Green (42%) is a far better three-point shooter than Langford (27%).

Green is also a superior passer to Langford and provides Archie Miller with a secondary playmaking option in the starting lineup.

It is no surprise to any Indiana fan when I say that Devonte Green often struggles to make the correct decision. However, in a starting position next to Phinisee, less pressure is put on Green to make decisions that he often has a hard time with.

His size and ball handling ability may make him seem like a 1, but his scoring mindset makes him a better fit at the 2 spot, which has been occupied by Langford all year.

Next season, however, will most likely see Green at the 2. This will allow Phinisee to play the pass-first style at which he is so gifted, while allowing Green to take more shots without having to create as much offense for others. A systematic fit such as this would be better than that of this season, and it gives Indiana’s offense a lot of potential moving forward.

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