Since Indiana's 2023-24 season ended, all focus has shifted to filling holes on the roster via the transfer portal.
But with the Hoosiers returning six players from last year's team, now is the time to look back at their performances and their outlook for the 2024-25 season.
We start this series off with Malik Rehnaud, who is back at IU for his third season.
What went well
The Miami, Florida native has stepped up to play a key role as a sophomore after a freshman season that saw him land on the bench behind Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson.
One of just two Hoosiers players to start all 33 games, Lenaud recorded career highs in points (15.4 per game), rebounds (6.0), assists (2.7), blocks (0.6) and minutes played (28.8).
Luhnow was second only to Kel'el Ware in the two main metrics Bert Torvik uses to measure a player's overall contribution to his team — points above replacement at the same usage rate and box score plus-minus — and he improved significantly year-over-year in both metrics, from 1.2 to 3.4 and 0.0 to 3.8, respectively.
At the offensive rim, Lenaud was tough to stop, shooting 69 percent there, 11 percentage points higher than his percentage as a freshman and four percentage points higher than last year's first-team All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Reneau needed to take a step forward as a 3-point shooter as a sophomore power forward, and he did just that, hitting 15 of 45 (33.3%) 3-point attempts after just 2 of 8 as a freshman.
From an intangible standpoint, there's no doubting Rehnaud's passion for the game. He's agile and passionate about the game. In post-match interviews, it was often clear that Rehnaud is a guy who cares deeply about winning.
I could have done better.
Lenaud sometimes seemed out of place at the power forward position. He had the size to play forward, but his skill and athleticism were more center-oriented. His defensive box score plus-minus was just 0.8, suggesting he wasn't as impactful on that side of the court. Lenaud often found himself in difficult perimeter matchups.
Indiana lacked quality perimeter shooters, which made it difficult for Lenaud, who was constantly faced with double-teams. Facing those situations regularly for the first time in college, Lenaud sometimes struggled to distinguish between the extra defenders and often tried to force his way through rather than finding an open teammate.
Lenaud's excellent footwork and strong frame allow him to get close to the rim frequently; 52 percent of his field goal attempts came from there. But when Lenaud shoots from further away, he is much less efficient; he made just 44.5 percent of his 2-point attempts from away from the rim, and most of those were from relatively close range.
Lenaud's excellent blocking skills also put him at the free throw line a lot, drawing 5.0 fouls per game and shooting 142 free throws on the season, but he only made 68.3% of his shots, down from 71.4% the year before.
Speaking of fouls, Luhnow continued to struggle with excessive fouls in his second season, but his foul rate per 40 minutes was lower than the previous season. He was sent off for fouls in six of his final 14 games.
Playing in the shadow of Jackson-Davis and then Ware, Lenaud has never been a high-level rebounder or shot blocker in his career, and while the addition of Oumar Ballo might not change that much, as a senior, Lenaud will need to be more productive in both areas.
Key questions for 2024-25
The biggest question about Luhnow is how he will pair with Arizona transfer center Oumar Barro. Are they complementary basketball players? Ware can step out and make threes and be a stretch four at times, but that's not part of Barro's game. So when they're on the court together, Luhnow will be in charge of continuing to be more of a perimeter threat. If he doesn't, opponents will be able to lock down the paint.
prediction
Renault may do more with less in year three.
Indiana relied heavily on its frontcourt stars because of the lack of consistent guard performance, and Lenaud had the highest usage rate on the team. He may not be the center of the offense this season. However, Indiana has a playmaking guard who can get into the paint and play at a high tempo, so even though Lenaud's usage rate may decrease, we can expect him to be a key offensive player.
Also, his overall playing time could be reduced, and his time on the court could be staggered with Ballo at times. Moving Luhnow to the 5 at times could free up time at the 4 for Mackenzie Mgbako and Luke Goode, which should greatly improve IU's spacing and perimeter defense on offense.
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