On Mike Woodson’s apparent portal strategy.
Gonna preface this with one thing:
We’re not precisely sure of Mike Woodson’s strategy in the transfer portal, coaches aren’t really gonna lay that out beforehand and he probably won’t speak on these additions for while.
But we can draw conclusions from the moves he’s made so far and the order in which he’s made them.
Indiana’s transfer acquisitions up to this points have gone in this order: Myles Rice, Oumar Ballo, Kanaan Carlyle and now Luke Goode. The three of Rice, Ballo and Carlyle got crystal balls in favor of the Hoosiers around the same time, so it could be fair to say Indiana had things wrapped up to some degree with Carlyle prior to his official visit.
That’s a creator, a new center, another creator who can score and finally a shooter. But with a caveat:
Rice and Carlyle didn’t have great shooting numbers, but they were both freshmen last year. Yes Rice is old for his class, but that was still his first bit of organized basketball in something like two years. Carlyle was every bit a true freshman on a Stanford roster that asked a lot of him.
Both of those guys will become better shooters. Carlyle in particular put up the kind of numbers that earn you a “shooter” label off the catch, where he’ll have plenty of opportunities with Rice in all likelihood running the point.
But Woodson faced a wave of criticism for not going after floor spacers, guys who shoot in the neighborhood of 40% from deep. Shooting was Indiana’s biggest issue last season, it was said.
But that’s not the case.
Indiana’s foremost problem last year was a lack of creation in the backcourt. Outside of Trey Galloway, who did so out of position, Indiana lacked reliable ballhandling and passing from its backcourt.
Gabe Cupps gave it his all, to his credit, but was still a true freshman being thrown in the fire before he was ready, something Woodson has said he wanted to avoid if possible.
The Hoosiers could’ve had more reliable shooting last year but the fact remained that only one guy on the roster could reliably get them the ball from the perimeter and that guy spent less than a handful of minutes off the court in every game.
Admittedly, that was partially a problem of Woodson’s own creation. He had hurdles, yes, but the Hoosiers left the transfer portal window without any guard and put the weight of the world on its existing backcourt, one that spent much of the season injured or completely gassed.
But there was nothing Woodson could do about that in January. There is now, and he’s done it. Two proven creators in Rice and Carlyle alongside Galloway and another offseason of work for Gabe Cupps.
This isn’t to say Woodson has fixed everything, you can’t say that until the roster hits the floor next fall. But he’s done everything in his power that he can do right now to ensure last year doesn’t repeat itself, which he deserves credit for.
And now, the shooting.
Indiana was one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country last year and didn’t take many. The latter point was a sore subject with fans who wanted to see the Hoosiers get more up, but ask Maryland what happens when a bad shooting teams takes more than they should.
Again, Carlyle can shoot it off the catch. He and Rice will in all likelihood raise their numbers. Mgbako was hovering in the area of 38% in conference play as another true freshman. There’s more shooting on the roster than is given credit.
But Goode? He’s exactly what the Hoosiers need, especially if you listen to all the very loud voices criticizing (sometimes with passive aggression?) Woodson. That guy can fire off the catch and attack closeouts off the dribble. He’s not gonna break anyone down in isolation, but he’ll get shots off.
He’s also a home state guy, hailing from Fort Wayne. A shooter? With Indiana ties? Everyone from the fanbase to national media should be lauding this addition. And it was the second priority, after creation. Which was the right decision.
Imagine one of Rice, Carlyle, Mgbako or Reneau driving to the paint and Goode (or Carlyle… or Mgbako) finding his shot, getting the ball and letting it fly. That creates space in a way Indiana didn’t have last year.
If this was indeed his approach, you couldn’t ask for a better plan or execution from Woodson here. There’s still games to play, but he deserves credit for the moves he’s made so far.