Hoosier State of Mind
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Indiana Basketball: Justin Smith’s departure carries some upside

By Trevor Gersmehl

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - MARCH 04: Justin Smith #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers steals the ball in the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Assembly Hall on March 04, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - MARCH 04: Justin Smith #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers steals the ball in the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Assembly Hall on March 04, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Indiana Basketball, Justin Smith
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – MARCH 04: Justin Smith #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers steals the ball in the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Assembly Hall on March 04, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Indiana basketball: more shooting

The main benefit of not having Justin Smith in the lineup anymore is that simply put, Smith can’t shoot worth a lick. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a valuable player — his strengths lie on the defensive end — but it allows for Indiana to have better spacing on the floor. This makes everyone’s job easier on the Hoosier roster.

With better spacing, the bigs have more room to roll and post up. When more shooters are on the court, everyone gets better looks from three because the defense can’t cheat. Indiana has faced opponents who would completely abandon Smith on the perimeter to double the low post or recover to an open shooter when the ball is being rotated. IU’s opponents could let Smith shoot 30 threes a game, and they’d be perfectly happy because they’d win by a lot of points.

Race Thompson or Jerome Hunter will fill the three spot in the lineup next season. Thompson has shooting potential, but Hunter is a better scorer and fits the position better at this time. More on him later.

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