When Indiana broke a six-year NCAA Tournament drought in 2022, coach Mike Woodson said at the time and has said on repeat since — Xavier Johnson was a major reason why the Hoosiers got there.
Down the stretch of the 2021-22 campaign, Johnson was the best point guard in the Big Ten. He made major in-season strides, and demonstrated he was coachable in the process.
He averaged 14.2 points, 5.9 assists and shot 41.4 percent from long distance in the final 17 games of that season, and he was even better than those numbers in the last five regular season games and the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana’s late season push to the 2022 NCAA Tournament simply doesn’t happen without his high-level finish.
There were flashes of that Xavier Johnson during his abbreviated 2022-23 campaign as well, and his biggest moments came against some of Indiana’s toughest opponents.
He had a season-high 23 points in a win at Xavier, and added seven rebounds. He had 20 points and eight rebounds in a win against North Carolina, and Johnson added 11 points and 11 assists against Arizona. In that latter contest, Indiana lost composure, and ultimately lost the game during a stretch when Johnson sat with foul trouble.
So how does one process the juxtaposition between that Xavier Johnson and the player we’ve seen here in January?
Over the last six games, since he returned from a stress fracture in his foot, this Xavier Johnson has been, well, let’s just call it what it is — bad: He’s shot 25.9% overall from the field, committed 2.2 turnovers against 1.8 assists, averaged 4.2 fouls per 40 minutes, oh, and has two flagrant fouls, including an ejection.
Johnson has only played 23 games over the last two years while missing 31. Prior to that stretch he had never missed a game due to injury. There have been fits and starts. 11 games on, 24 games off last season. Six games on, seven games off, six games on this season. He stayed close to the team and studied the game when he was unable to play, but he’s also since learned none of that is a substitute for live game action.
Emerging from the frustration of the last 13 months, a new reality seems to be smacking Johnson in the face.
This is it.
Already one of the oldest players in college basketball, and already in his sixth season, Johnson came back from his latest foot injury playing like a guy who knew he only had 18 games left in his career, and knew his team needed an immediate boost. He’s looked like a player who is trying to do it all immediately, while still finding his rhythm on the court.
And that’s not a good mindset for a player like Johnson, who Woodson reined in two years ago. When Johnson elevated his game in 2022, it was the opposite dynamic. He gradually felt his way through a season of high and lows, slowed down, and found a groove.
There’s been no such opportunity to ease his way into 2024, and the results haven’t been good.
“Since his injuries, you know, he’s been up and down, man,” Woodson said on Thursday. “He’s been soul searching trying to find himself.”
But there isn’t a lot of time left in this season, or Johnson’s career, for discovery. Indiana has just 12 regular season games remaining, and they are well outside the NCAA Tournament picture at this moment.
Johnson is walking the tightrope of trying to do too much, or easing his way back — while running out of time.
Woodson believes there is still a window of opportunity.
“We’ve still got a lot of Big Ten games left,” he said. “There’s a lot of room for him to get back on track, and you know, that’s what I’m pushing — trying to push him in the right direction to get there.”
Should Woodson push, or pull back? That’s the real question. Johnson can be like a Ferrari, but this one has been sitting outside all winter and needs a tune-up Indiana doesn’t have time for. It’s full speed ahead, fingers crossed.
Together, coach and point guard found answers two years ago. Can they do it again on a condensed timeframe?
No pressure really, but the fate of the season kind of seems to depend on it.
That’s the one thing Woodson said on Thursday that everyone seems to understand.
“We’ve got to get him back.”
Him being that Xavier Johnson.
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