Indiana Basketball: Justin Smith quietly turning into Hoosiers’ x-factor

Indiana basketball’s Justin Smith was an afterthought his first two seasons, but has quietly emerged as a go-to player for the Hoosiers this year.

It has been a rather up and down career thus far for Indiana basketball’s Justin Smith. Often times being tied to the word ‘inconsistent’, this year is different and he has proved he is an invaluable member of the Hoosiers roster.

While his first two seasons in Bloomington were a bit shaky, at best, Smith has been anything but in the first part of his junior season. Averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, both second on the team, Smith is molding into the top-60 recruit he was when he committed to Indiana.

What has been the major turning point for Smith? His position.

Though people can easily make the argument that Smith should be a small-ball power forward, his ability to play on the wing has made him an instant impact player on the floor this year. With his 6-foot-7 size and his athleticism, he is a matchup nightmare for most wings in college basketball. For smaller defenders, he is able to use his length and strength to play through contact and get through the lane, while bigger defenders aren’t able to stay in front of him with his above average first step.

Coming into this year, Smith was someone who wanted to adjust to playing the small-ball four and float around the three-point line. As a career 24 percent three-point shooter his first two seasons, just 27 percent this year, what he has utilized is his ability to get to the free throw line. With a great slashing body, and game that was never utilized prior, Smith is now getting to the line nearly five times a game.

It’s not just the offensive end of the floor that is working for Smith. With great potential to be a lockdown defender, and as Archie Miller said of Smith, ‘one of the better defenders in the Big Ten’, he has exceeded that potential this year. Playing on the wing, his size benefits him again. Whether it be using his quick hands on bigger opponents who lack the ball handling ability, attributing to 1.6 steals per game, or his nearly one block per game, Smith is using his defense to spark his offense.

How has it all panned out? Through 11 games this year, Smith has had eight double-digit scoring outputs, as well as two 20+ point games. Last year? How about just 13 double-digit games and one 20+ point performance all season.

As much talk as Trayce Jackson-Davis and Rob Phinisee have had for their play early in the season, it has been Justin Smith who has proved to be an x-factor for Archie Miller and the Hoosiers.