Indiana's senior guard Devonte Green played just under 20 minutes in the team's 66-62 victory over Northwestern. However, he sat on the bench for the majority of the second half as the Hoosiers mounted a comeback victory at home.
Senior guard and team captain Devonte Green wasn't on the floor as Indiana came back from a 10-point deficit against Northwestern at home Wednesday. In fact, he watched from the bench for the final 11 minutes of the second half as the Hoosiers' second captain, junior guard Al Durham, sparked the team's turnaround with his aggressive play and leadership.
Green finished the game shooting 0-6 from the floor, including two missed 3-pointers. He offered just one point to the game's final score and posted a box plus/minus rating of -13 — the worst on the team.
But what led to such a poor performance against the last-place Wildcats?
Passive offense
Indiana started the game in a back-and-forth battle in the opening minutes of the game. Green was one of the five starters for the Hoosiers — as expected since his return to full health — but didn't take his share of shots.
Green was often quick to swing the ball around the perimeter, instead of attempting to make a play for himself by dribbling or passing the ball inside. He kept good spacing with his teammates, but he never seemed to be in a ready catch-and-shoot position. The first pass he made inside was to De'Ron Davis, who was promptly fouled on the play and had a shot at a free throw attempt that missed, giving the ball back to Northwestern.
His skill set makes him the most dangerous offensive threat on the perimeter that Indiana has, and he didn't utilize it throughout the game.
Green didn't attempt a shot until the 7:36 mark in the first half. However, the play was whistled dead after junior forward Justin Smith traveled before the pass to Green at the three-point arc. His true first shot came with under three minutes to play in the opening period.
Following a defensive rebound of his own, the senior bolted up the floor and forced a tough shot over two defenders that was blocked. Luckily for the Hoosiers, redshirt junior forward Joey Brunk was in position on the offensive glass. Despite another chance, Green put up a failed 3-pointer as the shot clock expired.
For Green, defense was the only chance at offense during the game. After he blocked shot, giving Indiana chance at points in transition, Green took the ball up the court and penetrated the lane with two defenders standing between him and the basket. He never saw Smith cutting to the basket and instead took another dribble to attempt an impossible layup over three Northwestern players.
In comparison, Durham was constantly on the offensive, making decisive drives to the rim when he had space. He finished with nine points in the first half, compared to Green's one, including a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line.
Lack of defensive pressure
Durham's tight on-ball defense was a turning point in the game, as it prevented Northwestern from having extra time for its half-court sets in the second half. With Green defending the Wildcats' point guard Pat Spencer, that same pressure didn't apply. Spencer was able to walk the ball up the court with ease, giving his team time to set up on offense.
Spencer ended the game with team-high 15 points with 10 coming in the first half.
On help-side, Green often stood flat on his feet and not once did he contest a passing lane or tighten his defense on a still offensive player.
Twice he was caught watching the ball and losing sight on potential scoring threats on the floor.
In this example, Green was responsible for defending the inbounds pass but shifted his position due to a ball fake and was rendered unable to contest a pass to the paint. The result was an east dunk for Northwestern in the first half.
With under three minutes to play, Green turned his back on his matchup as Northwestern drove to the hoop. The Wildcats connected on a long pass as a result and got off a quality shot in the paint that bounced out.
Green's passive defensive play gave Spencer room to make his way inside the three-point line throughout the first half. Spencer took advantage of the matchup and converted on a few easy turnaround jump shots with Green defending. That strategy was nullified when Durham began pressing the ball over the length of the court in the second half.
Shots weren't falling in the second half
Green was on the floor as a starter to begin the second half and instantly made his offensive presence felt, even if he couldn't hit shots. He began dribbling inside to set himself up for two step-back shots that couldn't find the bottom of the net.
He ended his afternoon with hesitation on an open 3-pointer after once again not putting himself in position to take a quick shot. The long ball wouldn't connect and Green would fail to see the court for the remainder of the game.
Possible adjustments
Green is Indiana's best option from the three-point line, meaning defenders will not leave him with space on the perimeter to shoot. To counter that, driving to the lane using his ball handling ability and quickness would help him get easier shot attempts — whether its layups or pull-up jumpers inside the three-point arc.
Another aspect of Green's game that could lead to more explosive plays is to have more active hands on defense. His best play of the night came on a fast break pass downcourt to Smith, who finished the play with a dunk while the team was trailing.
Green failed to come up with a steal against Northwestern, but coming up with more loose balls against higher quality opponents could lead to more emphatic plays to get the crowd energized at home, or silence them on the road.
For Indiana's offense, movement continues to be lacking and if Green can find himself open by cutting and working around screens to get open looks, it'll give the team a boost and relieve the pressure on freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis' shoulders down the stretch.
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