PREVIOUS PREVIEWS: Joey Brunk
While one senior on the roster comes down a much different path than the second senior, they are both looked at as the main leaders of the program heading into the 2020-21 season.
Al Durham heads into his fourth year in Bloomington coming off of a junior campaign in which he was named co-captain, but his senior year is one that comes with high expectations.
The role player throughout his career will now be looked at as one of the key offensive pieces, while still leading, something he has continued to work on and become more comfortable with.
"We have four freshmen that came in. They're young, just getting on campus so I've been trying to teach them the ropes, teach them how to workout and teach them the bits and pieces of our offense and defense and get them a head start on how we do things and how to prepare and be ready for the workouts," Durham said earlier this summer. "I just tried to talk them through it and keep them away from that freshman wall as much as I can."
TheHoosier.com continues with its 2020-21 player previews with Al Durham.
2019-20 Season In Review:
The Georgia native is coming off of his best statistical season as a member of the Indiana basketball team and that was all while playing yet another position. In 32 games, starting all of them, Durham averaged 9.8 points and 2.5 assists while shooting a team-best 38 percent from three.
Heading into the year, the 6-foot-4 guard was asked to morph into the secondary ball handler on the floor, and even backup point guard. A position that Durham normally didn't play definitely brought its challenges. While Durham saw his best points output, he also saw his shot attempts dip from the year prior, focusing on setting the offense up more often than seeking out his shot.
In his 32 appearances, he only had five games with double-digit shot attempts and had four games with just two attempts. Despite the lack of attempts, he was very efficient, shooting nearly 45 percent from the field. His best stretch, however, came at the start of the season when Devonte Green was out of the lineup. In those first three games when Green was sidelined, plus the fourth which was Green's first game back, Durham averaged 16.8 points per game while attempting 8.8 shots per game.
Altogether, Durham scored in double-figures 15 times, and 15+ points on seven different occasions.
2020-21 Season Expectations:
One of the under-appreciated parts of Durham's game is how versatile he is on both ends of the floor. Whether he plays on the ball or off, a scorer or passer, he is truly a 'team-first' player. While that is great, Durham is excited about having his role firmly in place heading into the season.
"It's never been a problem with me being able to play in different positions but I do feel like it'll help... I'm always ready to do whatever the teams needs me to do," Durham said. "I can still play two positions but they've given me clear directions that I can have the freedom to be able to make plays."
With the addition of five-star point guard Khristian Lander, that role and freedom Durham is referring to is being a more aggressive scorer and playmaker. With the loss of Indiana's second and third leading scorers, Devonte Green (10.8 ppg) and Justin Smith (10.4 ppg), Durham's scoring punch will be needed and expected.
Trayce Jackson-Davis will remain the top option on offense, but IU needs a playmaker on the wing, a perfect fit for Durham. With his ability to shoot from range as well as being a very capable slasher, his skillset will fit perfectly with the bigs and playmaking ability of Lander.
Despite the need for scorers, don't expect Durham to be a consistent 15-20 point per game scorer. Assuming Durham's shot attempts rise from 6.6 per game to closer to 8.0-8.5 a game, his point per game average should be expected to rise to around 12-13 a game.
Durham will never be the focal point in terms of scoring output, but his ability to be a consistent threat is critical, and expected, in helping Indiana take the next step as a program.
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