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    Puerto Rico in focus: Thoughts on IU basketball forward Sam Alexis

    Mike SchumannBy IU Basketball 3 Comments
    Photo Indiana Athletics

    The Daily Hoosier spent a week in Puerto Rico in connection with IU basketball’s summer tour, and had several opportunities to see the team in action.  Since nothing was televised or streamed, we are going to go player-by-player to share our thoughts on what we saw, and what to expect from Indiana’s 2025-26 roster.

    Next up is senior forward Sam Alexis, who transferred to Indiana from Florida during the offseason.

    ALEXIS BY THE NUMBERS

    MPG – 21.7
    PPG – 12.7
    FG% – 53.6%
    3FG% – 0.0% (4 attempts)
    FT% – 72.7% (12 attempts)
    RPG – 7.7
    APG – 1.0
    TOPG – 1.3
    SPG – .3
    BPG – .7

    WHAT STOOD OUT

    Alexis is going to compile stats by playing hard, being in the right place, and taking what the defense gives him.  He’s a veteran who knows how to play and where to be, and he has the size and understands the physicality necessary to pull it all together.  Lobs, putbacks and running in transition appear to be the primary ways Alexis will score.

    He came off the bench in all three games, but did play in some lineups alongside Reed Bailey.  So the door is still open for those two to start together, especially against bigger teams.  But he’ll probably be a first off the bench, high minute reserve with a fluctuating role.

    The fourth-year player is the closest thing Indiana has to a veteran center on this roster, and he looks the part of the team’s best rebounder and shot-blocker.  So when the high major opponents appear on IU’s schedule, Alexis’ opportunity is likely to expand.

    Alexis showed off a soft touch from the 8-10 foot range.  He seems to like to get to those shots by backing down his man from the perimeter.  Indiana didn’t run sets to get Alexis post touches, but he created his own by taking advantage of spacing and matchups.

    Indiana is going to ask Alexis to possess the ball away from the basket in a spaced floor, and he showed promise as a passer and decision-maker in those situations.

    It’s a small sample size, but Alexis’ free throw shooting showed signs of improvement over his career 51.6% rate.  And his game in this offense translates to a healthy amount of attempts at the stripe — so strides there would be a positive development.

    NEED TO SEE MORE

    Alexis’ ability to be a productive contributor in a significant role is one of the biggest questions heading into the 2025-26 season.  Given their relative lack of size, IU needs a big season from the Apopka, Fla. product.

    One open question — if Alexis has 6-foot-10 and taller high major athletes guarding him, will he be able to score over them?  He may need to get downhill quicker and score off the bounce via drives rather than relying on backdowns.  It’s part of a larger theme with Alexis — will his mid-major production at Chattanooga (10.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg) translate?

    Another question mark surrounding Alexis as we head into the season will be whether he is able to stretch the defense with his perimeter shot.  He made 36.4% from three as a freshman at Chattanooga, but that percentage has been in decline since.  He’s down to 28.6% for his career on 105 attempts.

    Alexis is not hesitant when it comes to shooting threes, but you get a, just for a recent vintage comparison, Race Thompson vibe when het gets space and decides to let it fly.

    QUOTABLE

    “I think Sam gives us a real physical presence. He has the ability, too, to play inside/out. He’s long. Even though he’s not necessarily tall, he’s long and plays above kind of his size,” Darian DeVries said in late July.

    “In talking to other people that knew him well and coaches that have coached him before, they’ve all spoke about those same qualities. He’s done a really good job this summer as well because we’re asking him to kind of continue to expand not only his interior game, but a lot of things on the perimeter as well, where he’s got to have the ball in his hands and be able to make passes, make reads, and stretch the floor a little bit. He’s done a nice job in those areas for us.”

    MORE COVERAGE

    Puerto Rico in focus: Thoughts on IU basketball’s offense, defense and other big picture observations

    For complete coverage of IU basketball, GO HERE. 

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