Indiana men’s basketball: Xavier Johnson invited to pre-draft workout with Indiana Pacers

Well-deserved recognition

Former Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson was invited to a prospect workout with the Indiana Pacers today, the team announced on Twitter:

While most outlets don’t have Johnson being drafted, it’s great to see him get this opportunity after everything he did for Indiana. Between injuries and an inconsistent role during his time at Indiana, his college career didn’t exactly end as planned.

This isn’t to say that Johnson, at his best, doesn’t deserve this opportunity based on his play alone. In his first and only fully healthy season at Indiana, he averaged better than 12 points per game on 38.3% shooting from deep.

He was also a huge reason the Hoosiers went on a run in the Big Ten Tournament that season, finally ending Indiana’s NCAA Tournament drought. He was able to recapture that magic a few times in his final season at Indiana, like his 18-point, three assist, zero turnover effort in a win over Ohio State this January.

While reminiscing on good times past, now feels like an appropriate time to mention that Johnson appeared to have been in Bloomington earlier today with a few of his former teammates.

Sending another guy to the pros for these alumni photoshoots at Cook Hall will only make Mike Woodson’s job easier going forward. Let’s hope Xavier makes the most of this chance with the Pacers to show how he can contribute to an NBA franchise.