The new centerpiece
After only showing hints of his potential during his freshman season, Malik Reneau took a big step in his development as a sophomore, earning himself a spot at the center of Indiana’s offense.
He wasn’t the Hoosiers’ leading scorer this year, but his 15.4 points per game were second only to Kel’el Ware, as were his six rebounds. Most notable and maybe most surprising though were his 2.7 assists per game.
After averaging just .8 assists per game last season, getting up to around three helpers per game represents a huge jump in his passing ability. It also represents how crucial he was to Indiana’s offense last year.
According to Kenpom, Reneau was used on 27.9% of possessions last year, the most on the team. During his senior, consensus All-American season, Trayce Jackson-Davis was used on 30.3% of Indiana’s offensive positions.
Part of this was due to necessity. After Xavier Johnson went down and before Mackenzie Mgbako developed into his own, Reneau was suddenly one of the best facilitators on the team.
Without playmaking guards around him, it was up to Reneau to draw a double team and move the ball, which padded his assist (and turnover) numbers. He wasn’t on TJD’s level of being able to identify the rotation and execute the correct pass, but he was getting there.
Arguably the second-most important development in his game this year was his jumpshot. He wasn’t consistent with it throughout the year, with four of his 15 makes coming against North Alabama, but his 33.3% rate from deep this year made him more of a stretch four than many were expecting from the sophomore.
With better guards around him this coming season, Reneau will probably be asked to do less creating for others from the inside. He’s basically automatic with his left hand out to five feet and has developed the footwork to create those shots for himself.
Right now, his passing works best in the short range. As he drew attention inside, he excelled at finding Ware for an oop or a cutter heading to the rim. Making cross court passes to shooters is where things tended to get dicey, or when he dribbled too much before moving the ball.
Despite his post moves and interior scoring ability, Reneau does not defend or rebound like a center in Mike Woodson’s system. The addition of Oumar Ballo means Reneau will likely be encouraged to extend his midrange and perimeter games while Ballo takes care of things inside.
Looking ahead to next season, the biggest thing for Malik will be consistency. He got off to a hot start this year because he seemed to have matured into the college game. In the first two months of the season, he fouled out just once.
Over the last two months, Reneau fouled out six times, including in the season-ending loss to Nebraska. During that span, he made just three 3-pointers.
Hopefully putting talent around him – as Mike Woodson has this offseason – will lead to him having the ball slightly less, or at least not in positions where he’d need to be the primary facilitator. That’s when the offensive fouls and turnovers start to go up.
Given his strides as a scorer, passer, and rebounder though, Reneau is sure to be a focal point for Indiana for as long as he’s in Bloomington. The 2023-24 season, while not ideal, gave us a glimpse of what that might mean.