‘It just opens up the whole floor for us’: Trey Galloway’s playmaking ability an early bright spot for Indiana basketball

Trey Galloway has played multiple different roles throughout his Indiana basketball career and excelled every season. When he announced that he was coming back for a fifth year, there was optimism that his final year in Bloomington would be his best — both in terms of production and efficiency.

After starting his career as a role player off of the bench, he moved into a critical sixth man as a sophomore and junior — often times used as the energy off of the bench. Then as a senior, Galloway was not only a starter, but the lone playmaker offensively — both as a scorer and passer. He proved to be able to carry a lot of the offensive weight on his shoulders. Entering this season, however, the expectation was he would move back into his sixth-man role, only this time being one of the most valuable players on the team.

Through two games, Galloway is averaging 5.5 points and 8.5 assists per game in just 17.5 minutes off of the bench.

While his scoring isn’t eye-popping, it’s the playmaking ability that he showed last year that’s taken a step up through the first week of the season this year.

“He’s been great,” Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson said after Sunday’s win. “A lot of that is a spin from last season. You know, when we basically converted him from off the ball to putting him on the ball based on the injuries that we had. We’re benefitting from it because he’s gotten better over the summer. You know, even though he hadn’t played much, you could see what little he’s done since he’s come back after injuries, his injury in practice, that has helped his game tremendously, and we’re benefitting from it.”

Galloway’s playmaking ability has always been there but last year it was on full display. He became one of four Indiana basketball players with three games of 11+ assists in a career, joining Isiah Thomas, Jamal Meeks and Michael Lewis, doing so all in the last six games he played. He ranked ninth in the Big Ten in assists per game and assist rate. He also ranked ninth in assist to turnover ratio while also playing at least 30 minutes a game.

This season, Galloway ranks third in the Big Ten in assists and assists per game, and ninth in assist rate.

It started in game one when Galloway became the first person in the last decade in major college basketball to have at least nine assists in 17 minutes or less. He followed it up with eight assists in 18 minutes in Sunday’s win. So far this season he has 17 assists to just four turnovers in 35 minutes and has a +/- of +40. That’s third best on Indiana, while playing the seventh-most minutes on the team.

He also has the second-highest offensive rating on the roster (139.9).

Galloway has played both with fellow guards Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle on the floor and he’s played with one or the other. He’s also been the main ball handler with an all-bench unit. Either way, it’s been clear; Indiana basketball is much more efficient with the ball in Galloway’s hands.

“Yeah, he opens the floor for everybody,” IU forward Malik Reneau said on Sunday. “The way he controls the ball and is able to get it to the right guy at the moment, it just opens up the whole floor for us.”

From the players to the coaches, the talk in the offseason was about how this team would be different offensively. Quicker, faster and a more up-tempo team. While they have tried and seen success at times, more often than not, it’s a failed fast break or stalled half court offense. IU’s inability to get easy points and clean looks has been an early concern in its first two games.

There’s no question Indiana’s guards have struggled to create easy opportunities for their teammates. While part of that is chemistry continuing to be built, Trey Galloway has emerged quickly as the best playmaker on the roster. He had an assist rate — percentage of possessions that the player assisted a basket while on the floor — of 83 in the season opener vs a turnover rate of just 27. Then in game two, it was an assist rate of 53 and turnover rate of 24. For reference, Myles Rice was 20 (assist) vs 34 (turnover) and 28-32 in both games and Kanaan Carlyle was 16-0 and 5-21.

“It just gives (Oumar) Ballo and us opportunities to post high, down low, and then the shooters get open and threes and knock them down,” Reneau said. “He just knows how to read the defense and get it to where the ball needs to go.”

Despite the early season struggles offensively, Trey Galloway has been a very bright spot for Indiana basketball and the offense.

“Man,” Woodson said. “It’s really nice to see.”

SEE ALSO: Key takeaways from the Indiana basketball 90-55 win over Eastern Illinois

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