Another guard joins the mix.
Indiana head coach Darian DeVries likely found his starting point guard in Tayton Conerway, a senior guard joining Indiana after two seasons at Troy.
As the Sun Belt Player of the Year last season, he averaged an impressive 14.2 points per game, to go along with 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.9 steals. With an offensive usage rate of 27.5%, he was the focal point for the Trojan offense last year.
With the increased workload, Conerway took more 3-pointers and saw his shooting percentage suffer as a result. Though he averaged four attempts from deep per game, 62% of his field goal attempts came at the rim, so it wasn’t a huge part of his scoring.
At 6’3” 183 lbs, Conerway has the size and athleticism to beat high major defenders off the dribble to score or facilitate for teammates. Despite struggling from 3-point range, he put up 12 points and four assists against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
In a lineup that should feature at least two shooters in Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson, Conerway will have the opportunity to play more as a distributor with less pressure to score. This will play to his strengths, as his 36.8% assist rate was good for 20th nationally last year.
Conerway’s other strength is his defense.
Last season at Troy, he posted a 5.6 steal percentage, putting him in the top three in the country. Ace Baldwin, whose defense has tormented Indiana for seasons, posted a steal rate of 3.9% last year.
Given Conerway’s athleticism and defensive ability, I expect him to be named starter over fellow portal commit Conor Enright.
Looking at the additions at the point guard position, though, it’s clear that coach DeVries values pass-first guards in the one spot. Both Enright and Conerway were top 20 in assist rate last season.
Having a pair of point guards who can pass like that should make it easier for DeVries to sell other prospects on the possibility of playing in Bloomington as he and his staff look to fill out the rest of the roster.