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    Puerto Rico in focus: Thoughts on IU basketball guard Lamar Wilkerson

    Mike SchumannBy IU Basketball 7 Comments
    Photo credit - Indiana Athletics

    The Daily Hoosier spent the 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.

    First up is senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, who transferred to Indiana from Sam Houston during the offseason.

    BY THE NUMBERS

    MPG – 25.3
    PPG – 15.7
    FG% – 37.5
    3FG% – 32.3
    FT% – 70
    RPG – 2.7
    APG – 3.7
    TOPG – 1.3
    SPG – 1.0
    BPG – 0

    WHAT STOOD OUT

    This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the green light is always on for Lamar Wilkerson.  And he isn’t shy about letting it rip from beyond the arc.  Nor should he be.  Wilkerson is a career 40% three-point shooter who was aggressively recruited out of the transfer portal for that very reason.

    What IU coach Darian DeVries has seen over the last two months at practice has led him to believe Wilkerson should not only be starting, which he did every game, but he should be a focal point of the offense.  Indiana is looking to get him shots.

    The 6-foot-6 Wilkerson took 31 threes in the three games, and he showed some versatility with how he gets those shots.  Not a stand in the corner guy, he came off screens and filled gaps in the defense to get and make shots.  In any scenario, if he gets the ball with space, it’s going up.

    He’s got range well beyond the arc, which seems to have caught his man off guard multiple times, and he doesn’t need a lot of space to get his shot off.  Like most high volume shooters, Wilkerson is going to be streaky.  But he wasn’t afraid to keep letting it fly when the shots weren’t falling.

    Wilkerson is also a clear leader on this team. He is vocal, and has a fun, engaging personality.  He is clearly liked by his teammates.

    The highlight of Wilkerson’s week for me might have been the way he closed game three.  And that had nothing to do with his ability to shoot the basketball.  With Mega hugged up against him to take away the three, Wilkerson showed an ability to get downhill into the paint, and he both scored (including with his off hand) and facilitated in those moments.  Wilkerson had a pair of critical assists on his drives in the final two minutes of game three.

    And then when Mega had the ball with one possession and a chance to win, IU put Wilkerson on the ball — and he got the stop.

    NEED TO SEE MORE

    In a lot of ways, Wilkerson was who we expected, but the athleticism of the opponents Indiana faced in Puerto Rico wasn’t up to high major college basketball standards.  So that leaves some open questions that won’t be answered until November.

    He had some impressive moments on the defensive end, but how will his on ball defense translate against high major athleticism?  Can he stay out of foul trouble?

    Will he be able to get past his man off the bounce and finish at the rim against better defenders?

    And will he be able to more quickly recognize how he’s being defended to avoid full halves where his offensive impact is limited?  Wilkerson is a clear focal point of this offense, and IU might not be able to rally from big deficits like they did in Puerto Rico if Wilkerson fades from the picture for too long.

    QUOTABLE

    “Lamar can shoot as many times as he wants,” IU coach Darian DeVries said.  “I have ultimate faith in Lamar making shots.  He can change a game in two, three possessions.”

    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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