Roster Finishing Touches
Indiana men’s basketball landed what could be its last addition of a busy transfer portal season in Langdon Hatton, a 6’10” center from Bellarmine. Hatton chose Indiana over programs like Ohio State and Louisville.
Hatton, an Indiana native, will likely come off the bench, but given his skills, could see time at the four and five, which would be more significant minutes than you’d expect from a backup. After the departures of Payton Sparks, Kel’el Ware, Kaleb Banks, and Anthony Walker, Hatton gives Indiana some much needed front court depth.
The first stat that jumps off the page for Hatton is his 3-point shooting ability. Last year at Bellarmine, he attempted 45 threes and hit 15 of them – the exact same numbers Malik Reneau posted from beyond the arc last season.
45 shots isn’t a terribly high volume, but it could stand to go up even in a more limited role if he knows he has a green light. Last season at Bellarmine, he had just seven attempts through the first 15 games before starting to let it fly more from distance.
Hatton is also a capable ball handler for his size. Though College Basketball Scouting reports that nearly 70% of his FGAs came at the rim, his highlights show that a lot of those buckets start with him catching the ball on the perimeter and creating his own shot.
He’s capable of backing smaller defenders down in the paint, but his overall profile is much different from what Mike Woodson has looked for in back up bigs before. Unlike Michael Durr or Payton Sparks, Hatton is a true threat from deep off the catch and will demand defensive attention wherever he is on the floor.
This apparent change in strategy should not be overlooked. Over the years, we’ve seen players struggle to bring their interior games from the mid to high major level, especially in a big-heavy conference like the Big Ten.
It’ll now be possible for Mike Woodson to play a lineup of five players who are threats from 3-point range. When Ballo sits, he’ll likely be tasked with rim defense, but on offense, Reneau and Hatton will give Indiana spacing it hasn’t had since 2014-15 (when there wasn’t a true center on the roster).
From the perimeter, he’s not just a catch and shoot guy. He uses his speed and athleticism to get downhill on cuts off-ball, punishing defenders who lose track of him outside. Again, this should help Indiana’s spacing and offensive flow.
Though his exact role is impossible to know now, the addition of Hatton should be welcome news for Hoosier fans, both for his skillset and the potential change in offensive philosophy that his recruitment suggests.