I think that is the case. And this has nothing to do with Malik Reneau per say or his talent. He's a good ball player that brings a lot to the table. But he is also a "bad fit" for today's game. He's a "tweener." A player that is just not quick enough (prone to foul trouble), athletic enough, or a good enough shooter to effectively play the 4. While he is skilled closer to the basket, he's not big enough, tall enough, or quick enough (see above) to dominate the middle like Ballo can. So, when Reneau and Ballo are on the floor at the same time Indiana is simply limited offensively, and in more ways than one. It is a small sample size, but with Reneau out of the lineup for the last two games Indiana's 3-pt shooting, and other areas, have skyrocketed with multiple players playing a part.
In the two games prior to Reneau's injury he went for a consistent and solid 18 & 8, & 14 & 7. Great numbers. Ballo added 9 & 8 vs Chattanooga and DNP vs Winthrop. Meanwhile, Indiana shot a combined 6 of 40 from behind the arc for a blistering 15% in those 2 games alone. There's more. Let's go 4 games back. Against Nebraska and Minnesota "buddy ball" accounted for stat lines of 16 & 7 & 18 & 7, as well as 12 & 3, and 8 & 11 for Reneau & Ballo respectively. Sounds nice. Looks good on paper. Meanwhile Indiana's 3-pt shooting pretty much sucked. Really sucked. The Hoosiers hit 18 3FGs on 89 3FGAs!! That is a paltry 20%. It also appeared to me that Mackenzie Mgbako and a few others found it pretty hard to find their rhythm in an offense that was post oriented and did not seem to have much flow to it for those not playing in the paint.
At the start of the Rutgers game Malik Reneau went down with an injury and has not played in the last two games. In those games without Reneau, or specifically without a 2nd "big," and with a typical wing (Luke Goode) in the lineup, there have been massive positive changes for Indiana's offense. Not only did the Hoosiers shoot *12 of 27 for 44% vs Rutgers, and **9 of 23 for 39% on 3FGs at Penn State (21 of 50 total- 42%), Indiana also pulled down *18 offensive boards for *34 second chance points & **13 ORs for 17 second chance points respectively in those games. All of those numbers are *season highs or ** 2nd best thus far. In addition to the huge jump in those numbers Oumar Ballo added solo paint performances of 17 & 12 and 25 & 13.
Yes, it is a small sample size, but it is also hard to ignore the successful production from a model people have begged to see for 4 years. I am no expert and have never claimed to be. But I also didn't fall off of the turnip truck yesterday. Less big bodies clogging up the paint, better spacing, better passing lanes, better driving opportunities, etc., etc., seem to be just what this team needs to have a shot at being successful. Now the $64,000 question is will these numbers and the accompanying recent success have any effect on what fans see on the floor when Reneau returns?? We will all have to wait to find out.
In the two games prior to Reneau's injury he went for a consistent and solid 18 & 8, & 14 & 7. Great numbers. Ballo added 9 & 8 vs Chattanooga and DNP vs Winthrop. Meanwhile, Indiana shot a combined 6 of 40 from behind the arc for a blistering 15% in those 2 games alone. There's more. Let's go 4 games back. Against Nebraska and Minnesota "buddy ball" accounted for stat lines of 16 & 7 & 18 & 7, as well as 12 & 3, and 8 & 11 for Reneau & Ballo respectively. Sounds nice. Looks good on paper. Meanwhile Indiana's 3-pt shooting pretty much sucked. Really sucked. The Hoosiers hit 18 3FGs on 89 3FGAs!! That is a paltry 20%. It also appeared to me that Mackenzie Mgbako and a few others found it pretty hard to find their rhythm in an offense that was post oriented and did not seem to have much flow to it for those not playing in the paint.
At the start of the Rutgers game Malik Reneau went down with an injury and has not played in the last two games. In those games without Reneau, or specifically without a 2nd "big," and with a typical wing (Luke Goode) in the lineup, there have been massive positive changes for Indiana's offense. Not only did the Hoosiers shoot *12 of 27 for 44% vs Rutgers, and **9 of 23 for 39% on 3FGs at Penn State (21 of 50 total- 42%), Indiana also pulled down *18 offensive boards for *34 second chance points & **13 ORs for 17 second chance points respectively in those games. All of those numbers are *season highs or ** 2nd best thus far. In addition to the huge jump in those numbers Oumar Ballo added solo paint performances of 17 & 12 and 25 & 13.
Yes, it is a small sample size, but it is also hard to ignore the successful production from a model people have begged to see for 4 years. I am no expert and have never claimed to be. But I also didn't fall off of the turnip truck yesterday. Less big bodies clogging up the paint, better spacing, better passing lanes, better driving opportunities, etc., etc., seem to be just what this team needs to have a shot at being successful. Now the $64,000 question is will these numbers and the accompanying recent success have any effect on what fans see on the floor when Reneau returns?? We will all have to wait to find out.
