#5. Xavier Johnson was better, but still not sold that Coach Woodson can trust him
In Thursday night’s win, Xavier Johnson played 19 minutes and put together seven points, four rebounds, six assists, one steal, and three turnovers. His playmaking and decision-making were much better than what it was against Morehead State and in the two exhibition games. But I’m still questioning things.
Can he be trusted to run this offense on a consistent basis against a Big Ten defense? Will he step up against better competition than what he’s done thus far this season? The real test for Johnson will be against Xavier (the school).
My best bet is that Jalen Hood-Schifino will be taking on a role as leader of the offense and Johnson will be playing second fiddle to him. Now, Johnson played tremendous defense against Bethune-Cookman’s guards and let the game come to him, but as a senior point guard on a top-15 team in the nation, is that enough?
I know I’m being hard on X but when you have more playmakers and players off the bench that produce more on the court and don’t take anything away from the game, it’s hard not to be tough on your senior leader.