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On Thursday, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson provided an update on injured starting point guard Xavier Johnson. Johnson has been out with a broken foot since Indiana's loss at Kansas on Dec. 17.
"Well, he is doing some individual stuff, but contact, you know, doing drills with the team, we haven't been able to get there yet. We are hoping next week," Woodson said. "I'm going to sit down with X today and just see what his thinking is because my thing is it's going to come down to him being able to bang a little bit and cut and use his speed to do what he does, but if that's bothering him, then I don't know if he is going to play."
Johnson entered the Kansas game averaging 10.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. He was shooting 42.5 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three on 2.6 attempts per game. He played just nine minutes against the Jayhawks.
The fifth-year guard has slowly been doing more work -- both in practice and pregame in individual warmups. He is no longer in a boot.
"I mean, only time will tell," Woodson added. "That's all I can tell you guys right now. He is not doing enough for me to be on the floor to play. I know that. Not right now."
Since Johnson went down with the injury, freshman point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino has stepped into the main ball handler and part of the dynamic pair with Trayce Jackson-Davis.
In 17 games since Johnson's injury, Hood-Schifino is averaging 14.5 points on 43.6 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from three on 1.4 made 3s per game. He's also averaging 3.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.0 turnovers per game.
Trey Galloway has stepped up as well in Johnson's absence. He has started 15 of the 17 games and averaged 7.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He's shooting 51.4 percent from three on 1.1 made 3s per game.
The question remains: if Johnson is able to return, will he be inserted back into the starting lineup or come off of the bench?
"X is a talented player, and he has been good for our ball club, so somehow you have to fit him back in. You know, I don't know if I'll start him or bring him off the bench. A lot of that has to deal with once he warms up, is it good to start him instead of him sitting over there coming off cold? There's just a lot of intangible things that come into when players get hurt," Woodson said. "A lot of that's going to be on X, too. I've got to feel good. I don't want to mess up what chemistry we do have, but he is still a big piece to what we do. I mean, he changes -- he is a game-changer to me.
"So if he is good to go, I've got to feel like I've got to put him back in there, and we've got to play off of him and see where we are."
Johnson has played in 45 games at Indiana averaging 11.6 points per game, 5.0 assists and shooting 38 percent from three.
Last season when Indiana made its late-season push, it was in large part to Johnson's play. He averaged 16.6 points and 6.6 assists per game in the final 10 games of the season. He scored in double-digits in all 10 games. He also shot 45.5 percent from three with 1.5 made 3s per game.
Indiana faces No. 5 Purdue on Saturday and returns to Assembly Hall for the remaining two games next week against Iowa and Michigan.
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