Indiana Basketball So Far: Luke Goode’s Role Is No Surprise, But Consistency Has Been Hard To Come By

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana men’s basketball is a third of the way through its season. Twelve games are in the books with a minimum of 19 to go, though it will likely be more assuming the Hoosiers make the Big Ten Tournament.

With the usual Christmas pause in games upon us, it’s a good time to look at Indiana’s most important contributors and how they’ve fared so far.

All players who have played 10 minutes per game will be considered except Anthony Leal. The senior has not played in enough games (Leal only reached 10 minutes in four of the six games he played) to have a workable sample size.

The series continues with swingman Luke Goode.

Luke Goode: Tale Of The Tape

Points, Rebounds, Assists: 6.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.6 apg

Percentages: 36.2 FG%, 45.5 2P%, 34 3P%, 93.8 FT%

Advanced stats: 15.4% usage rate, 0.3 offensive win shares, 0.4 defensive win shares, 0.7 win shares.

Explanation: Points produced and points allowed are included in the advanced box score provided to the media via live stats from each game.

Points produced and points allowed are based on how many points a player is responsible for or allows while on the court based on a per 100 possessions standard. The formula, developed by basketball analyst Dr. Dean Oliver, is way too complicated to explain here, but that’s the basic premise.

Net points is merely the points produced with points allowed subtracted.

Foul trouble is a measure I did myself. Foul trouble is obviously important because it compromises the rotation, but if a player plays with fouls, it can also compromise their defense.

A player qualified as being in foul trouble if: a) they picked up two fouls in the first half; b) picked up a third foul before 15 minutes are left in the second half; or c) picked up a fourth foul before five minutes are left in the second half.

The reason for this standard is to eliminate accumulated fouls late in the game that are done purposely to put the opposition at the free throw line. Those are not fouls that are bad or that necessarily compromise the team in the way earlier fouls do.

What’s Been Good

It didn’t start well, but Goode’s 3-point shooting has better since the start of the season.

He had an extremely slow start – he was 3 of 14 in his first four games – and it still brings his overall numbers down. In his last six games, Goode has converted 40.7% from long range, more like what Indiana was seeking when Goode came to the Hoosiers via Illinois.

Goode can get a good defender (more on that in a minute) – though the data is conflicting depending on which data point you want to use.

Goode’s skill set makes him a good rotation match. According to Kenpom.com, he has been used in eight of Indiana’s 10 most frequent lineups in the last five games.

Goode is an automatic free throw shooter at 93.8% and he goes to the line a decent amount of times (1.3 attempts per game) for the 19.6 minutes per game he averages and the role he has as a shooter. However, Goode hasn’t gone to the line in the last three games, so this side of his game comes and goes.

What Needs Work

Like so many Hoosiers, consistency is a big issue. Bench players are even more prone to varying degrees of production than starters. Goode had one patch of consistent scoring form – a five-game stretch from Nov. 27 to Dec. 6 where he scored at least five points in every game. Apart from that, he’s been feast or famine.

Getting back to his defense, the advanced data methods that track it are in conflict. The defensive box-plus minus stat suggests he’s doing OK with a 1.9 rate. Not outstanding, but not bad. However, the system used by statbroadcast.com, the points produced and points allowed method, tells a different tale. On the season, Goode is minus-32.1 in this department and has only had one game where he’s produced more points than he’s given up. Which method is right? The truth is likely somewhere in between.

One thing that isn’t in dispute is Goode’s penchant for fouls. By our foul trouble definition, Goode has been in foul trouble five times. Given that he’s coming off the bench and that he plays 19.6 minutes per game, that’s a very high total.

Is The Scheme Helping?

This is a tough one. As far as how he’s being used, Goode’s role is no surprise at all. He floats out to the 3-point line and waits for the opportunity to do his thing. Goode has a not surprising 81% 3-point rate, the percentage of shots taken from beyond the arc.

It’s a matter of whether Indiana is getting the return on what it needs from Goode – but paradoxically – whether Goode has enough around him to be what Indiana wants.

He has shot better in the last few weeks, but he’s still well below what he produced at Illinois. In 2023-24, Goode’s effective field goal percentage (which weighs 3-point shots for their added value) was 56.7%, but he’s just at 50% for the Hoosiers.

On the other hand, the Fighting Illini had more shooters around Goode than the Hoosiers do now. Goode and Mackenzie Mgbako (45.7% from 3-point range) have only been on the floor together 8.7% of the time in Indiana’s last five games.

The maximum 3-point combination of Goode, Mgbako and Trey Galloway (44.4% from 3-point range) have only been on the floor together 4.3% of the time over the last five games.

Goode is most typically on the court with Galloway, Leal, Bryson Tucker and Oumar Ballo. Galloway has had a 3-point revival this season, but are those enough shooters to give Goode the looks he needs to thrive?