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, IN – FEBRUARY 23: Justin Smith #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers brings the ball up court during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Assembly Hall on February 23, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Indiana basketball: Better movement on offense

Shooting wasn’t the only problem in Justin Smith’s offensive game. He was stagnant at nearly all times on offense. Indiana’s offense struggled with stagnation as a whole unit, but Smith was perhaps the main perpetrator.

I recall many times where there was an open back cut to be made, but Smith either didn’t notice the glaring chance for two points at the rim or chose to not cut (not a great move when you shoot 25% from three).

This goes back to spacing a bit, but not having Smith in the lineup will create a more free-flowing offense. I argued in several articles last season that Smith’s lack of contributions on offense actually outweighed his contributions on defense. I still think this is true, but it’s a little concerning that it will take Smith not being on the roster for Archie Miller to even experiment with a different, better shooting, three-man in the starting lineup.

I think the forced experimentation could lead to a better team. We’ll have to see how it plays out to be sure, but it’s possible that Smith’s replacement will add more points on the offensive end than Smith was preventing at the defensive end.

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