Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Indiana Basketball: Five bold predictions for next season

By Trevor Gersmehl

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 15: Rob Phinisee #10 of the Indiana Hoosiers drives to the basket against Joey Brunk #50 of the Butler Bulldogs in the first half of the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana won 71-68. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 15: Rob Phinisee #10 of the Indiana Hoosiers drives to the basket against Joey Brunk #50 of the Butler Bulldogs in the first half of the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana won 71-68. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 7
Next
EAST LANSING, MI – FEBRUARY 02: De’Ron Davis #20 of the Indiana Hoosiers drives to the basket and draws a foul from Nick Ward #44 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: De’Ron Davis #20 of the Indiana Hoosiers drives to the basket and draws a foul from Nick Ward #44 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) /

TJD Or De’Ron Davis Will Come Off The Bench

Trayce Jackson-Davis will bring a high degree of frontcourt talent to Indiana next season. He has great athleticism and throws down thunderous dunks with ease. He will be Indiana’s flagship player for the next few years.

De’Ron Davis is a senior leader who knows Archie Miller’s system and has the skills to thrive in a starting role. His playmaking is stellar for a big man and his jump hook is smooth and sweet.

Talent-wise, the obvious choice is to start De’Ron Davis at center and Trayce Jackson-Davis at power forward. This lineup however, presents some strategic problems; neither player possesses a three point shot. The lack of shooting could really hinder the spacing of Indiana’s offense, clogging up driving lanes and allowing defenses to pack the paint versus a Hoosier team that is known to struggle from three.

For this reason, it would not be surprising to see the lineups change several times throughout the year to determine the best fit. A lineup of Phinisee-Green-Hunter-Smith/Durham and Jackson Davis provides more spacing and perimeter defense. Insert Davis instead of Jackson-Davis and you lose some quickness, but gain playmaking and leadership. It’s tough to tell which lineup could bear more fruit.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Archie Miller ignored talent and put one of the two big men on the bench for systematic fit.

Spacing is very important to Archie Miller’s offense, and Indiana already struggles with keeping defenses from clogging the lane with a 4-out system. However, it feels sinful to put a top 20 recruit on the bench. It feels just as strange to bench a senior leader on an experienced team.

Despite this, the fit may be problematic with both of them on the court at the same time, potentially giving cause to some lineup manipulations.

Home/Indiana Hoosiers