Indiana Basketball Mailbag: Offseason takeaways ahead of a season full of expectations

Q: Who’s the most under the radar guy on our roster who might surprise people next year? I suspect Jakai Newton may turn a lot of heads when he gets on the court. (@RonaldChronsoon)

Yeah, a lot of people like what Jakai Newton can bring and while I do as well, I want to see how he reacts to playing high-level basketball and doing so consistently before I set any sort of expectations for him.

For me, it’s Kanaan Carlyle. I feel like he’s a bit underrated in terms of the guys that people have been discussing this offseason. Between Oumar Ballo and Myles Rice, Carlyle seems to be a bit ‘forgotten’ at times. Add in Mackenzie Mgbako and Malik Reneau as well and there are a lot of talented players all over the floor. Carlyle is a tremendous scorer and two-way player and can impact the game at a high level. His biggest struggle last year as a freshman was his consistency and efficiency. The best part about joining this IU roster is he doesn’t have to force the issue and will have more talent to compliment his game.

I think Carlyle is in store for a very strong year and think if he can learn to play within the game and not force certain situations, he’s going to excel in Mike Woodson’s system. It’s hard for me to say a former top-60 recruit and freshman who averaged double-figures last year to be ‘under-the-radar’ but with the additions that have been made, I think Carlyle is that guy.

Q: Are we gonna hold another scholarship or actually use it this year? (@jeff_jminton71)

I fully expect Indiana to bank that scholarship and head into the season with 12 players. This is a totally different scenario than last year, however. Indiana went into last year not fully knowing the status of Jakai Newton and obviously dealing with the inconsistent time on the floor from Xavier Johnson. Because of that, two injuries set you back drastically to just 10 guys. Add in a couple nagging injuries that impacted Kel’el Ware, Malik Reneau and Trey Galloway throughout the season and there were times that playing 5 on 5 in practice was difficult or not even available. So, one injury to a key player forced IU to play guys who weren’t ready to play 25+ minutes a game or even 15+ minutes a game. The roster wasn’t constructed well enough for that.

While injuries are always part of the game, the expectation is for this team already to be much deeper than last year in terms of talent. So, if an injury were to occur, IU would have enough pieces to overcome that in ways. It is extremely versatile in numerous positions, so cross-positional play would allow Mike Woodson to still have a lot of lineups to play with. A major injury is a different story, but that’s something you never know will happen or when. Indiana is truly 12 deep — the only way they add someone is if it’s a late reclass candidate who is looking to use this year to practice against better competition or someone who is not looking to play a major role but has a very specific skill that IU is missing … and currently there isn’t much that is missing from the roster.

Q: Biggest x-factor this year? (@iuhoosiersfan2)

This is a no-brainer for me and it’s Mackenzie Mgbako. The way he came on at the end of the season was something people expected at the start of the year. It’s obviously been well-documented his struggles when he stepped on campus but how he grew and learned over the season is something he can really use as a springboard into a terrific sophomore year. And, Indiana needs it.

Indiana basketball hasn’t had an NBA-type wing in years and in order to win big time games and compete on the national level, you need NBA caliber perimeter play. Mgbako has that in him. Between his ability to shoot from the wing, play as a small ball 4 and his growth as a defender, he should be able to impact the game in numerous ways. Indiana needs him to take another step, however. He needs to be more consistent as a defender and needs to enhance his scoring ability off the dribble. He has great size and length to be able to score off the bounce, but didn’t show that a year ago. He can’t just be a spot up shooter. He needs to take the next step as an ‘alpha’ type scorer and if he does, that greatly raises the ceiling, and the floor, for IU next season.

Q: Seems like a great recovery for past recruiting failures with a great on paper portal class so is Woodson planning game philosophy changes as well or he think talent will justify? (@TafTfiu) // How does coach Woodson manage his rotations this year? Will continue use the nba style or more of what he was doing towards the end of year, which was playing his best players and substituting individually. (@cabell_royce)

I’ll kind of combine both of these into one because they can go together here. So for question one, Both? Look, talent makes any coach look better in areas so because he added dynamic and talented guards, a knockdown shooter and then a proven and consistent big man, certain holes are going to be masked. But, Mike Woodson needs to continue to adapt to how the game is being played around the country and how the top programs are playing and adjusting every year.

Indiana needs to play with pace, and will be able to this season. It also needs to improve its half court offense, something it struggled with last year. The additions of Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle will instantly impact that and allow IU to play a more up-tempo style. Their ability to get downhill and make plays off of the dribble will eliminate some of the stagnant half court offense as well. The biggest question I still have is how frequently Indiana will use a small lineup. Success will not and should not be with both Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo on the floor. A lineup of Rice, Carlyle/Galloway, Goode, Mgbako and then a big is something that is extremely intriguing with its floor spacing, quickness, versatility and athleticism.

Mike Woodson hasn’t loved that type of small lineup but on the flip side, he hasn’t had the players and skillsets to do so. So, we’ll see about that this year.

He’s adamant about playing inside-out basketball but in order to do that, he needed guards. He understood that this offseason which was a big win for the potential of adjusting to the new style of the game.

I think we’ll see him continue to adjust in certain areas, but I am not sure we will see as much of an adjustment and adaptation right away like some may want.

Q: What needs to happen on the court for this season to be deemed a success? Both regular and postseason (@hoosierfan2222)

Look, while Indiana basketball has been at least relevant again for the first time in nearly a decade under Mike Woodson, it is nowhere near where fans, administration or Woodson thought they’d be at this point. After a very disappointing 2023-24 season, IU is looking for a major bounce back year.

The reasonable expectation is for this team to finish top two in the Big Ten and make a Sweet Sixteen. That is by no means out of reach. This is the most talented, skilled and deepest team that Indiana has had in quite some time. There are a lot of question marks in the Big Ten and with some notable players no longer in the league, it’s a very open race for the entire conference. While IU has six new faces, it brings in new faces with experience, brings back old faces with experience and adds players who have played major roles on successful teams. It hadn’t done that in previous summers.

It’s a long time before we even get into the season, but as we sit here in the middle of June and summer practices underway, I think you have to shoot for that and be extremely satisfied with those results come years end.

SEE ALSO: One question facing all 12 Indiana basketball players entering the summer

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