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Indiana'a front court has depth, talent and versatility now on its roster. What could have been a down year for Indiana at the position after potentially losing Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson, is now the strength of the team and one of the top front courts in the country.

Indiana added five-star freshman Malik Reneau to that duo as well as returning Jordan Geronimo.

There is one X-factor and that is Geronimo. The most athletic player on the roster isn't a true stretch-4 and also isn't a true perimeter player. But when he's on the floor, he makes plays. Now this season, he's looking to expand his game and bring more consistent value to the Hoosiers.

"During this off-season, I am really just working on, or I have seen improvement in just making the right decision on the perimeter and just also my jumpshot has been getting better," Geronimo said over zoom on Tuesday. "Also, (ball) handling is getting better. I would say overall, I see a lot of improvement in just my decision-making and just knowing when to make the right play and move the ball wherever."

Geronimo is a 6-foot-7 and 220-pound forward who came to Indiana as a raw athlete and has tried to morph into a specific position. But, his best asset is being position-less and being able to use his versatility to play and, specifically, guard multiple positions.

He brings energy, versatility and an extreme amount of athleticism to the floor that has been showcased in small doses. Coming into this offseason, Geronimo knew that in order to see a bigger role and bring those tools to the floor, he would need to expand his game -- and that meant potentially playing on the perimeter and alongside the Jackson-Davis and Thompson duo.

It started with a conversation to Mike Woodson, and an idea that Geronimo had.

"It was more of me asking that question and me bringing it up," Geronimo added. "It was more me bringing it up because I wanted to expand my role as a player."

Geronimo averaged 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and shot 31 percent on just 0.9 three-point attempts per game last season. He played just 12.6 minutes per game.

"I'm more just trying to expand my game where I'm able to play as a three so I can be more productive for my team and just be able to produce more. That's really the idea of it," Geronimo said. "But mostly just expanding my game to the point where I can play the three and the four."

While part of the game is being able to shoot from the perimeter, it also about being able to move more without the ball and learn the different nuances of the wing position. It's something he's going through this summer.

"I guess I would say (floor) spacing is something that I really worked on," Geronimo said. "In terms of decision-making, like that goes both ways, on-ball and off-ball. On-ball, meaning like I'm getting better at just, you know, knowing when to try to attack, knowing when to shoot the ball, knowing when to pass the ball, you know what I mean. That's the on-ball kind of stuff. But off-ball, knowing when to cut and knowing when to set some actions like down screens, off-ball screens, something like that."

And that's just on offense. Geronimo, who has been a good defender throughout the early parts of his career, now is learning to play on the perimeter even more than he has. With that comes adjustments.

"Yeah, that's actually the harder part, really," Geronimo said. "But it's learning things like transition defense. As a big man, as a four I guess, I would just run to the rim, you know what I mean, protect the rim on transition. As a guard or as a three, as a three would be able to try to stop the ball in transition, you know what I mean. So that's something that I keep in mind. Also, I'm fighting over ball screens now, you know what I mean, so that's the kind of stuff that's different. But also, the plays. The fours and the threes have different positions and plays, so I have to remember all that kind of stuff. So, it's a lot to it."

While there are some growing pains, Geronimo is showing improvement and has made some strides. Even his teammates can see it.

"He's been doing well in practice, improving every single day, and it's fun to watch him from being a person who they didn't -- nobody really handled the ball to being able to make a move, get by a defender, pump fake, one-dribble pull-up," IU senior forward Race Thompson said earlier this summer. "Being able to do that just in one summer is very impressive, and hopefully he can keep building on that and he can help us a lot."

"In terms of handle, it's just reps, really," Geronimo added. "I mean, I'm not going to say I'm like Kyrie Irving but it's just better, you know what I mean. It's getting better and seeing improvement is a good sight."

It's to be determined how frequently Geronimo will see time for extended periods on the perimeter. But if his improving skillset stays true, it is an added dimension to the Indiana system that Mike Woodson will surely utilize.

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