Column: Hulls’ role must include more shots

Hear me out: Right now, IU sophomore guard Jordan Hulls may be the best shooter in college basketball.

If that’s true, then the ensuing statement is easy: In order for IU to build on its first Big Ten win, Hulls needs to shoot the ball more.

It’s that simple.

The team’s win against Michigan is a perfect case study. It was a game in which Hulls’ three second-half 3-pointers sealed the win. And it was also a game in which Hulls attempted zero first-half shots.

Clearly the team’s most prolific shooter was not looking to fill that role. Instead he played the role of a facilitator.

IU coach Tom Crean said he recognizes Hulls needs to shoot.

“I don’t want to have games where he’s not taking shots in the first half,” Crean said. “I don’t think that’s good. That’s not good for us, it’s not good for him, and it’s not good for our winning percentage.”

Let me quickly explain how well Hulls is shooting this season.

Many use effective field goal percentage, which adjusts for the fact that a 3-pointer is worth more than a 2-pointer,for calculating shooting efficiency.

Hulls leads the nation in effective field goal percentage at 73.6 percent. He’s shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 51.5 percent from the 3-point line.

To reiterate, Hulls needs to shoot. At least, he needs to want to shoot.

Crean brought up a clear example to illustrate this point: the first possession of the Michigan game.

“That play, there’s an offensive rebound and it’s kicked out to him. That is a no-brainer, take that shot. But what does he do? He passes it to the top to start the offense,” Crean said. “That’s the kind of stuff that he needs to eliminate in his mind. The only guy that is not thinking about taking that shot is Jordan.”

Hulls has had equally vexing performances this season. He attempted just two second-half shots against Ohio State. Against Northern Iowa, he took two shots. Eight times this season he’s taken five or less shots in a game.

That’s not to say all is bad with taking fewer shots. It’s not a perfect correlation, but his assists numbers go up when the shot attempts are fewer.

For Crean, figuring out just how to utilize him this year has been the tough part.
Hulls’ role in the Hoosier offense this year has been as easy to define as it is to nail Jell-O to a wall.

Sometimes he’s running the point, sometimes he’s played shooting guard. And yes, he’s even played the power forward role (kind of).

To add to that, the shooting, scoring small guard role is hard to define. You think of the best small guards at the professional level, and it’s not the scoring that comes to mind first.

It’s the assists, the facilitating, the court vision and the floor leadership that come to mind.

Hulls brings those things to the team as much as anyone else on the roster.

But he also shoots better than anyone else on the team.

The team needs to continue to find ways to get Hulls’ shots within the game’s context, and he needs to take advantage.

“The one thing we can continue to try and do is manufacture more opportunities for Jordan and that’s what we’re going to continue to do,” Crean said. “But Jordan’s baskets and Jordan’s value really comes in the flow of the game.”

— nmhart@indiana.edu