Indiana Basketball: Juwan Morgan’s Leadership And Toughness To Be Missed

It’s that time again where we take a look at the Indiana basketball roster and break down the season of each player. Today is Juwan Morgan.

Previous Reviews: Zach McRoberts 

Juwan Morgan’s future was uncertain coming into this year after he declared for the NBA Draft and mulled a decision of whether or not to hire an agent last spring. He had workouts with several NBA teams but ultimately came back for his senior season.

The leader of the team, Juwan played with the same intensity whether it was a tie game or a blowout. He was the leader on and off the court using tips he learned from former teammates Yogi Ferrell, Max Bielefeld and Nick Zeisloft to help his own teammates grow.

After scoring 21 points in their season ending loss, Juwan Morgan moved into the top 25 on Indiana basketball’s all-time scoring list.

Finishing his career ranked 24th all-time with 1,374 points, he passed Andrae Patterson (1,365) who played back in 1994-1998.

Morgan also moved to 10th all-time in rebounds (757) and eight in blocks (138).

Let’s take a look at his season and what’s next for him.

2018-19 Season in Review

Overall, Morgan played and even started in every game this season. His body took a lot of wear of tear especially starting in Big Ten play when he averaged 29.8 minutes per game.

Second on the team in scoring, he averaged 15.5 points while adding 8.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.

He also shot the ball at a clip of 55.8 percent which was the highest on the team for players averaging over 15 minutes (De’ron Davis averaged 60.0 percent with an average of 13.6 minutes per game).

Morgan scored a career high 35 points in a win against Butler at the Crossroads Challenge in Indianapolis. The Crossroads Challenge at Bankers Life Arena resonates with Morgan as he recorded his second highest scoring output of 34 points against Notre Dame the year before in the same event.

Doing something that had only occurred in Indiana basketball history once, 1971 by Steve Downing, Morgan also had an incredible feat of recording a triple double. He had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Jacksonville University Dolphins.

A scary moment for Morgan was against Michigan State when he suffered a shoulder injury after going after a loose ball and Michigan State’s Kyle Ahrens falling on him.

Hoosier fans held their breath as they understood how important Morgan was for the team, and already knowing the shoulder issues in his past. Although he didn’t come back for the second half of the eventually Indiana win, the team doctors and trainers popped his shoulder back in and he was able to play just five days later in Iowa.

Juwan was a highly touted prospect out of Missouri being ranked a 4 star player and the second best in the state. He was part of an NBA caliber recruiting class which consisted of himself, OG Anunoby and Thomas Bryant, both of which are currently starting in the NBA. The experience that he gained in the four years at Indiana University were invaluable to his development and has helped him go from a freshman averaging 2.4 points a game to becoming the heart and soul of Hoosier Nation.

This season he was named to the USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for the week of 12/17. This was the 2nd time in his career being named to this award. He was also named Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season during the weeks of 12/17 & 3/11.

Juwan was named to Third Team All-Big Ten by the Media as well as being an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the Coaches.

What’s next?

Morgan has NBA potential according to NBA scouts.

We talked to the scout of the New York Knicks who told Hoosier State of Mind that Morgan has the skills to be on an NBA roster but will most likely be a two-way player between the NBA and G-league.

Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated had nothing but good things to say about Morgan back in January.

"Morgan has been among the most consistent, offensively versatile bigs in the country and an underrated force for the Hoosiers, doing damage in the post, facing up and as a set shooter. He’s a strong defensive rebounder and passer, and will be an interesting investment for someone as a small-ball big who can help teams effectively run five-out offense. Morgan’s outside shooting will be a key assessment and there’s some reason to question it: he’s shooting a career-best percentage from three, but his free throw percentage has bizarrely decreased in each of the last four seasons. He may not be able to defend many wings, but he blocks shots and racks up steals defensively. Morgan has a strong case to be drafted."

Although I don’t see him getting drafted, he will certainly get a summer league roster spot along with a training camp invite. He will also get a plethora of pre-draft workouts just like he had last year.

The only concern for him is his height translating to the NBA as he has played as an undersized five for a lot of his IU career with a height at 6-foot-8.

If he can excel this summer and showcase his skills, he can prove to the league that his height won’t hinder his ability to play at the next level.