Indiana Basketball So Far: Bryson Tucker Has Shown Plenty Of Promise

In a time where 3-point shots rule, Tucker is a master of the two-point shot.

The true freshman loves nothing more than to dribble-penetrate or turn his back to a defender at the elbow and fire off a fall-away jumper. He makes his fair share, too. According to barttorvik.com, Tucker is 13 of 38 on two-points shots not at the rim.

That mid-range shot probably makes it easy to overlook his solid scoring at the rim. Also according to barttorvik.com, Tucker is a combined 18 of 30 on dunks or on shots at the rim, a healthy 60% conversion rate.

Tucker has reached double-figure scoring three times off the bench, with a peak of 16 points against Minnesota on Dec. 9.

Tucker’s rebounding is solid. Because he comes off the bench, his per-game average is 3.6, but his per-40-minute rate is 7.5, fourth-best on the team.

One area in which Tucker has excelled is avoiding fouls. He’s the only Hoosier who hasn’t been in foul trouble this season.

He’s also a 76% free throw shooter, a good rate as he will draw fouls with his sorties to the rim.

What Needs Work

Tucker has to be accounted for inside the arc, but he’s struggled mightily from beyond it. Tucker is just 1 of 12 from 3-point range, a paltry 8.3% rate. Tucker was not recruited as a 3-point shooter, but he should slip in a few more than he’s made just to keep defenses on him honest.

Regardless of the metric, Tucker’s defensive stats are not stout. His defensive box plus-minus of 0.5 is the worst on the team. That might be one reason why he rarely gets into foul trouble – he’s not a physical player yet.

Like a lot of freshmen, once the ball goes to Tucker, it often doesn’t go to anyone else. His assist rate is 5.9%, second-worst among those who play regularly.

As it is with so many other Hoosiers, consistency is also necessary. Since Indiana returned from Battle 4 Atlantis, Tucker’s shooting percentages are 40, 0, 60, 11 and 60. Not unusual for a freshman, nor anyone else on this roster at the moment.

Is The Scheme Helping?

Indiana is playing to Tucker’s perceived strength, but will he get a chance to grow his game?

What I fear with Tucker is that Big Ten coaching staffs will see his penchant for taking mid-range shots and take it away from him. Jumpers like Tucker takes are easy enough to defend with a help defender. It’s just a simple scouting report bullet point.

Tucker can get to the rim, too, and Indiana needs more of that. His percentages are naturally superior the closer he gets to the basket. His drives will also set up scoring opportunities for others, especially once he gets a handle on dishing when he’s under pressure.

A small-ish lineup with Tucker, Goode, Mgbako, Rice/Galloway and Ballo/Reneau would be fascinating to see. Not just with what the Hoosiers would do with it, but how it would help Tucker take maximum advantage of his skills and make others better.