DES MOINES, Iowa -- It took sophomore guard Robert Johnson 10 minutes of playing time to take his first shot in a month, except it didn’t feel like that. It was surprising to look at his stat sheet and see one field goal attempt, when it felt like he had 10 points already.
That’s because from the moment Johnson returned to the court, he was so visible and involved. He was maneuvering the ball well, and his defense was as sound as usual. He was dishing it to teammates for open shots.
Maybe it felt like he had 10 points already because he had three assists before that 3-pointer. So really, he had provided IU with nine points after the 3-pointer.
But the real reason it felt like Johnson was so active is because Thursday’s 99-74 win against Chattanooga reminded us of just how important he is to this IU team. The Hoosiers played well without him, but Johnson provides this team with that extra gear.
He isn’t 100 percent, though.
During warmups and the moments in between action, Johnson could be seen limping and shaking his ankle around. When the clock wasn’t ticking, he seemed uncomfortable. Yet when the game was on, he looked nimble and athletic. It was confusing.
Crean confirmed Johnson isn’t quite himself yet.
“He’s not 100 percent back,” Crean said. “But he was back enough to be a real contributor today.”
Crean didn’t want to admit anything about how the team was different without Johnson. He said others stepped up in his absence and the team played well.
He’s not wrong, but Crean has always preferred to publicly take the positive angle instead of admitting some things were missing without Johnson.
The truth is Johnson, if healthy, gives IU more defense, shooting and ball movement. The defense is obvious, and the shooting is well known, but one of the biggest things Johnson provides is another player to fill a point guard-like role.
Senior guard Nick Zeisloft played well in Johnson’s absence, and Crean spoke about how the defense of freshmen forwards OG Anunoby and Juwan Morgan gives IU players that can guard multiple positions.
What none of those players add, though, is a guard like Johnson who can run the point consistently and find open scorers, as well as create points himself. He finished Thursday’s game with six assists in 22 minutes.
But his defense has become his calling card. He was locking down his matchup for most of the game. One of the few times any Chattanooga player scored on Johnson was no fault of his own.
Chattanooga’s Tre McLean hit a 3-pointer to end the first half, despite Johnson guarding him a few feet out from the perimeter with a hand in his face.
During much of the second half, Crean seemed livid and was screaming at his team. He yelled often at junior forward Troy Williams and was consistently angry with the Hoosiers for a stretch.
The first time that mood seemed to change was when Crean watched Johnson guard a Chattanooga player on the baseline. As the player dribbled along the edge of the court and Johnson contained him, Crean started smiling and saying “nice, nice.”
Johnson wasn’t the star Thursday, and his numbers didn’t jump off the stat sheet. But his presence was noticed. He was also happy with how his ankle held up.
“I’m encouraged with how I felt,” Johnson said.
