Indiana Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Hoosiers

Projected starting lineup

Point Guard – Xavier Johnson, Senior

Xavier Johnson joins the Indiana basketball rotation from the ACC with a ton of experience already at the lead guard role. He put up 14.2 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.4 rpg and 1.3 spg this past season as the lone bright spot for the Pittsburgh offense in 2020-21.

With more experience around him, he’ll look to limit his turnovers and make plays for himself and others while improving on his decision-making. With Jackson-Davis to work with in the pick-and-roll, things should be looking up for him.

Guard/Wing – Tamar Bates, Frosh.

Tamar Bates makes his debut with Indiana basketball after turning down the Longhorns and reopening his recruitment this past summer. Now he finds himself as a key piece in the Mike Woodson rebuild with the Hoosiers.

Bates has a solid run in the team’s trip to the Bahamas back in August, putting up production of 11.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 1.0 spg across their two victories. He shot 53.3 percent from the field and 40 percent from the arc. He should be quite the athletic guard in the backcourt to have at 6-foot-5 for Coach Woodson.

Wing/Forward – Parker Stewart, Junior

Parker Stewart is another new face in the Indiana basketball lineup that fans should come to enjoy. He sat out the 2020-21 season with the Hoosiers after transferring from UT-Martin where he was an All-OVC performer, putting up 19.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 3.8 apg on 34.8 percent shooting from 3-point land.

He’s an active presence on both ends of the floor and it’s worth noting, he led the way with five steals for the team in their two exhibition games in the Bahamas. He’ll be a versatile threat at the 3-spot that can also shoot the ball on the perimeter.

Forward – Trayce Jackson-Davis, Junior

Trayce Jackson-Davis returns as Indiana basketball’s biggest threat on the floor. He led the way last season with 19.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.4 bpg while shooting 51.7 percent from the field, exclusively from inside the arc.

Jackson-Davis is a 6-foot-9 forward that put up 10 double-doubles and returns looking to do a lot more damage with weapons across the board. As he shows off more what he can do defensively, look for his stock to grow as an NBA Draft prospect in 2021-22. In a draft class driven by a revival of the traditional bigs, he’s an underrated name in this year’s draft class.

Forward/Center – Race Thompson, Senior

Race Thompson is a returning name that’s become a staple in the rotation at the 5-spot. He’s a 6-foot-8 big man that shouldn’t go underappreciated on the interior in 2021-22.

Consider Thompson the glue-guy of the group given his ability to clean up the glass and protect the paint at the 4-spot. He returns as last year’s second-leading rebounder (6.2 rpg) to go along with 9.1 ppg on 51.5 percent shooting from the field.