Scouting Report: An analytical look at what Kanaan Carlyle brings to IU
The third addition out of the transfer portal this offseason for Indiana, Kanaan Carlyle represents another big get for Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers.
On Saturday, Carlyle made his pledge official via his social media page.
Carlyle joins Washington State transfer Myles Rice and Arizona transfer Oumar Ballo as part of the Hoosiers' incoming class of transfers -- one of the top incoming crop of transfers in the country.
After spending his true freshman season at Stanford, Carlyle has at least three years of eligibility remaining.
Another impact guard added via the portal this offseason, let's take a look at what Hoosier fans should expect to see out of the Carlyle in the cream and crimson.
***All of the stats used in this story are courtesy of Sports Reference and/or Synergy Sports***
The addition of Carlyle follows a strong last week for the Hoosiers in the transfer portal. The ex-Stanford guard provides Indiana with another young and talented option in the back court.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Carlyle spent his senior year of high school with the Overtime Elite program after three seasons starring at Milton High School.
A 6-foot-3, 185 pound guard, Carlyle appeared in 23 games as a true freshman at Stanford, he started 16 of them. The former Cardinal averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game a season ago. He shot 38.6% from the field and 32.0% from 3-point range in his lone campaign with Stanford.
On the offensive end, the former four-star recruit was a victim of inefficiency throughout his freshman season. Despite that, as was the case with Myles Rice, there's reason to believe the shooting numbers will improve for Carlyle.
For starters, Carlyle's usage rate was incredibly high for a true freshman. His 27.7% usage rate was the highest mark on Stanford last season and would've been the second high mark on Indiana a year ago -- trailing only Malik Reneau's 27.9% mark.
Combine the high usage with poor shot selection and the result is Carlyle's inefficient shooting numbers.
46.0% of Carlyle's 3-point attempts a season ago came off the bounce and were relatively low-percentage looks. He shot just 21.7% on those looks last year, significantly weighing down his overall percentage.
On higher percentage looks, catch and shoot 3-pointers, Carlyle shot a more than respectable 39.6% from three. Furthermore, Carlyle converted on 42.9% of his 'unguarded' catch and shoot long balls last year.
Additionally, the 77.6% clip in which Carlyle converted at the free throw line further suggests his 3-point efficiency will come around.
Carlyle's struggles with efficiency last season was largely limited to outside the 3-point arc, however he did struggle a bit around the basket. He took 19% of his total field goal attempts last year at the rim, shooting 46.3% on those shot attempts.
The true freshman guard also struggled with his efficiency in the pick-and-roll a season ago. 31.7% of Carlyle's offensive touches a year ago came in pick-and-roll sets, where he ranked in the 46th percentile. He shot just 38.3% on field goal attempts inside the 3-point line out of the pick-and-roll last season.
Where Carlyle excelled on the offensive end of the floor with the Cardinals was off of handoffs. The Georgia native scored 1.118 points per possession -- ranking in the 86th percentile -- on plays where he received the ball on a handoff. Carlyle shot 53.3% from 2-point range off of handoffs.
Overall, Carlyle was almost bang average in half court settings last year, which isn't terrible considering his usage as true freshman. He ranked in the 53rd percentile in points per possession in half court settings a season ago.
An underrated aspect of his game, Carlyle is a pretty good playmaker. His 19.5% assist rate would've ranked third on the Hoosiers last year.
Carlyle was also able to avoid turning the ball over a ton last season. His 20.5% turnover rate last year was better than all three of Xavier Johnson, Gabe Cupps and Anthony Leal. Again, when taking into account his abnormally high usage rate for a true freshman, that is impressive.
Defensively, Carlyle is quick, athletic and active. While he averaged just 0.4 steals a game last year, Carlyle has all the tools to be a quality defender at the collegiate level.
Whether or not a starting spot is still open for Carlyle in Bloomington given some of the Hoosiers' other additions this offseason remains to be seen. No matter the role, even a slight uptick in his efficiency numbers next year will assuredly make Carlyle an integral part of Indiana's rotation.
Check out some of Carlyle's highlights below.
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