With the offseason underway, TheHoosier.com will review each IU player's 2016-17 season.
We continue the series with a look at junior forward Freddie McSwain Jr.
Stats
Averaged 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.1 minutes per game ... Shot 55.2 percent from the field ... Also chipped in 10 steals and three blocks ... Played in 31 of the Hoosiers' 34 games last season, starting in one of them.
Season In Review
McSwain's arrival in Bloomington was delayed until mid-August due to summer academic obligations at Neosho County (Kansas) Community College. Like fellow 2016 signee De'Ron Davis, it caused McSwain to miss the entire offseason strength and conditioning program last summer as a result.
The late arrival, coupled with minor surgery in September which was required to repair an old knee injury that flared up, further limited his practice time prior to the start of the 2016-17 season.
However, McSwain's playing time increased as his health continued to improve.
The Hinesville, Georgia, native didn't score in eight of his first 19 games for the Hoosiers, averaging just 7.2 minutes per game. Over the course of his final 12 contests, his playing time rose by 2.1 minutes per game as he scored in 10 of those games.
Former IU head coach Tom Crean compared McSwain, 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, to an NFL tight end, and he began to show off that kind of athleticism the healthier he became.
McSwain scoring on alley oops wasn't surprising, and not just because of that athleticism. He did the majority of his work in the paint, with dunks or layups accounting for 31 of his 32 made field goals last year.
His first-career start came at Purdue on February 28, and McSwain responded with a five-point, five-rebound effort in 13 minutes.
As Indiana got deeper into tournament play, McSwain began to carve out a bigger role for himself in IU's rotation. Over his final nine games, he shot 58.8 percent from the field while averaging 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game.
Outlook
McSwain's role next season will likely depend on how he develops in his first and only full offseason in Bloomington. He could be a serviceable backup small forward (or power forward in a smaller lineup) next season, but having an expanded role like that will require improvement in two areas: turnovers and foul trouble.
According to KenPom.com, McSwain turned the ball over on 26.3 percent of possible possessions, second-highest among IU players last season. He also committed one foul every 6.1 minutes he was on the court.
However, his offensive and defensive rebounding percentages of 17.1 and 18.3 percent respectively were a team-best last season according to KenPom.
New IU head coach Archie Miller would be hard-pressed not to find a role in the rotation for McSwain next seaso because of the athleticism and offensive rebounding ability he offers, but that expanded role will only open up for McSwain if he cuts down on his turnovers and fouls.
Previous Postseason Player Reviews:
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