A relentless scorer unafraid of the big moment.
Indiana men’s basketball landed a commitment from Stanford transfer guard Kanaan Carlyle on Saturday.
He was just a true freshman last year and sat out the first few games of the season before bursting onto the scene as a scorer. He hit something of a freshman wall in Pac-12 play, but watching him makes it clear why the Hoosiers wanted him.
He’s a former top-100 player with NBA upside, now he’ll get to play for a coach that has already sent one guard to the league as a first round draft pick. If things really work out, Carlyle has a shot at being the next.
Scouting report
He’s a hooper.
Carlyle really just fits what the Hoosiers needed last year and what just about every team could use. A guy who just isn’t afraid of the ball and can go get a bucket with plays either designed for him or on his own late in the shot clock when things break down.
More importantly, he’ll have help. If Indiana rolls out a starting lineup that includes Rice and Carlyle, things can get interesting pretty quick. The Hoosiers haven’t had that kind of proven creation working together in…. a while.
Strengths
- Ballhandling
- Aggression*
- Shooting upside*
- Lineup versatility
Weaknesses
- Also aggression*
- That freshman wall at Stanford
As of right now, barring anything unexpected, Carlyle will likely be in the starting lineup as the two next to Myles Price running the point.
This is probably an ideal spot for him. Both he and Rice are proven creators that will be able to get the ball to guys like Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako. Add in Trey Galloway off the bench and Indiana suddenly has a wealth of creation as opposed to a huge deficit last year.
That was Indiana’s foremost issue, beyond an inability to shoot. Only Galloway could reliably create and he could only really do it for others, he’s just not the kind of player that can make make his own shot.
Carlyle? He’ll be able to find his own shot no problem, but that’ll create something of a turnover bug as he tries to create plays that just aren’t there or takes a bad one. But frankly you live with those plays a bit for the upside he presents.
If he has a really, really off night? Indiana has options. Galloway is there and guys like Jakai Newton and Gabe Cupps will look to make some level of impact during their second years with the program.
Indiana hasn’t had that level of bench play in a few years.
Back to Carlyle. He’s a good option as an off-ball shooter because catch-and-shoot situations were a strength of his last year and Stanford and could put less pressure on him if he’s in a slump.
His shooting numbers were dragged down when he got careless with shot selection. As a spot up guy, he was more reliable than anyone on Indiana’s roster last year.
Off the dribble? Well he can do it but he could definitely pick and choose his spots better. He was also a literal true freshman last year and coaching exists, so it’s not like that isn’t a correctable issue.
He is going to take shots that are bad. You’re gonna live with that and work with him on it.
In conclusion, Carlyle is a developing talent who’s probably some distance from being a finished product. The good news about that is he’s just a rising sophomore, he’ll have the necessary support and resources to get better.