‘We need that from him’: CJ Gunn’s recent performance could be springboard for remainder of season — and Indiana basketball needs it

Indiana basketball sophomore guard CJ Gunn has had his ups and downs throughout his first two seasons in Bloomington, but last weekend may have been the most comfortable he’s looked in an Indiana uniform.

Gunn not only picked his spots, but more importantly — he let the game come to him and looked relaxed.

That relaxed feel is something Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson had been looking for from his young wings. Over the last month, Gunn and Kaleb Banks have fallen out of the rotation, a rotation that has seemingly gone just seven players deep consistently.

The biggest question Indiana had was how it could and can get more from its young wings.

“You know, I wish I knew because they have worked,” Woodsons said of Gunn and Banks last week. “I mean, in practice they work. I just got find some confidence somewhere in one of them, if not both, because it’s tough. You can’t just play six guys.

“I just got to keep working and trying to get them where I need them to be, man. We still got a lot of basketball left, and my thing is when I put them in there, maybe I’m putting too much pressure, they’re feeling too much pressure to have to perform. I don’t want them to feel that way, so I just got to — that part of it I got to figure out.”

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Gunn’s first basket didn’t come until Indiana was down 21 points at the 12:39 mark of the second half. It was a three, just his ninth of the year and first since January 16, also against Purdue.

He proceeded to score eight of the next 12 points for Indiana. He finished with 13 points — all in the second half. He was 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from three. He also got to the foul line four times.

Gunn scored from the perimeter, with dribble pull-up jumpers, at the rim and on the foul line.

Gunn’s 13 points were a career high. His three made 3s were also a career high.

On the season he’s averaging 3.6 points in 12.7 minutes per game. He’s shooting 36.7 percent from three (11-of-30).

In Big Ten games, Gunn is averaging 4.4 points and shooting 47.6 percent from three (10-of-21) in 13.8 minutes a game.

“We needed that. Hopefully for CJ, it can give him confidence with seven games remaining to be consistently like that off the bench. And it’s not just the scoring,” Indiana basketball assistant coach Kenya Hunter said on Monday. “It’s the ability to play both sides of the ball, and execute on the defensive end in schemes and offensively be able to find a way to get good shots. In Purdue, he was relaxed and was able to make the three-point shots that were kicked out to him.”

The 6-foot-6 sophomore has never lacked confidence or work ethic, that’s never been an issue. It’s been the results and the efficiency that haven’t always been there.

“CJ is in the gym all the time and now you’re just seeing the results,” IU senior Xavier Johnson said earlier this season. “He’s a guy that has high confidence in himself and fears nothing.”

That lack of fear was evident on Saturday — regardless of the score. His ability to score and shoot — albeit streaky — is something no other guard on this Indiana basketball team currently has. His ability to be a very good two-way player is still evident. But, the biggest thing with shooters is rhythm.

His performance on Saturday and potential needs to be rewarded with more minutes. Because, it’s clear through 24 games the current backcourt rotation of Indiana hasn’t clicked.

Can Saturday be a springboard into the final seven games of the year?

Time will tell, but it was a performance Indiana desperately needed from its backcourt, especially off of the bench, and is something IU has clearly been lacking.

“We have a lot of young guys playing a lot of minutes.” Hunter said. “In the past we’ve had older guys that when we’ve struggled, they knew what spots to be in and how to help each other out.

“We need that from him.”

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