How Jakai Newton's Injury Impacts Indiana Backcourt in 2023-24

Incoming freshman Jakai Newton is out indefinitely with a knee injury. While he wasn't expected to step into a starting role in 2023-24, his absence is a hit to Indiana's guard depth and puts pressure on unproven players to step up.

Jack Ankony | Aug 24, 2023

How Jakai Newton's Injury Impacts Indiana Backcourt in 2023-24 /

In this story:

Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After losing its top four scorers and seven total scholarship players, Indiana clearly was going to rely on new faces in 2023-24.

A recent injury update regarding freshman Jakai Newton amplifies that theme, especially in the backcourt.

Newton missed most of his senior year of high school with a meniscus injury, and while he returned for late-season action, his rehab process stretched into time in Bloomington. Last week, the program announced that Newton underwent a procedure to treat the pre-existing injury, and there is no timetable for his return.

Indiana hasn't ruled Newton out for his entire freshman year, but coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers must plan for a scenario in which they don't have the 6-foot-3 guard available.

When Newton committed to Indiana as a four-star recruit from Newton High School in Covington, Ga., he wasn’t expected to immediately step into a starting role. Every freshman goes through ups and downs as they adjust to the college game, and it's possible Newton would have only been counted on for 10 minutes or less off the bench each game.

Yet Newton’s injury provides other players with an opportunity to step up. With Newton out, Indiana has just five scholarship guards: Xavier Johnson, Trey Galloway, CJ Gunn, Gabe Cupps and Anthony Leal.

Johnson and Galloway will likely be the starting point guard and shooting guards, respectively. They are the only Hoosiers with consistent starting experience in the Big Ten.

Johnson missed all but 11 games last year with a broken foot, and he'll be counted on to run Indiana's offense night in and night out. He's capable of being one of the conference's best point guards – like when he averaged over 18 points in an eight-game span as Indiana made a late push for the 2022 NCAA Tournament – but he's also struggled with turnovers at times. And coming off a foot injury, it's fair to wonder if he can play his best for 30-plus minutes per game.

Galloway stepped into a starting role when Johnson went down last year, and it came with a few noticeable improvements. He was always known as a hard-nosed player, but Galloway gave Indiana an offensive boost as he significantly improved his 3-point shooting percentage from 21.4 to 46.2 percent from his sophomore to junior year. After attempting 65 threes in 32 games last year, Galloway will likely be asked to shoot more often as a senior, which will come with a natural dip in efficiency.

Behind starters Johnson and Galloway is where Newton's injury is really felt. Indiana pursued a handful of guards in the transfer portal this offseason, but that never came to fruition. Indiana could still theoretically add another scholarship guard, but options have dwindled, classes have started and the season begins in just over two months.

That leaves CJ Gunn, Gabe Cupps and Anthony Leal as Indiana's only guards off the bench, and none of them are proven at the college level. They'll have a chance to change that this year, of course, and each came to Indiana with strong track records in high school, as does every Big Ten basketball player.

Gunn has the most potential to step up in 2023-24, especially after Newton's injury. He showed flashes of potential as a freshman, but he played just 7.5 minutes per game in 20 appearances. He averaged 2.0 points, shot 30.9 percent overall and just 8.3 percent from 3-point range. At 6-foot-6, Gunn has the length to be a plus defender, and he shot over 37 percent during his junior and senior seasons at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. Indiana needs Gunn to make a sophomore jump, perhaps averaging about six points per game, and that starts with improving his shooting efficiency.

Cupps is part of a three-man freshman class with Newton and forward Mackenzie Mgbako, and he could be tasked with meaningful minutes, regardless of Newton's injury, but especially if he remains sidelined. A point guard by nature, Cupps won a state championship and Ohio Mr. Basketball playing for his father at Centerville High School. With impressive basketball intellect, Cupps was a strong 3-point shooter, passer and defender in high school, traits that could all help him carve out a role at Indiana. But like every freshman, there's always concern regarding their transition to the college game in year one.

Leal won Indiana Mr. Basketball at Bloomington South, but he hasn't been able to crack the rotation on a consistent basis with the Hoosiers. His playing time has decreased all three years, and at this point, it's probably unrealistic to expect a major jump in production. But if Leal is knocking down outside shots and defending well in nonconference play, Woodson will have no choice but to play him.

Indiana’s depth at guard was a question before Newton’s injury update. Now it is a greater concern. Relying on unproven guards off the bench is a risky proposition, and unless Gunn, Cupps or Leal show significant strides, Indiana's failure to add a veteran guard in the transfer portal will come back to bite the Hoosiers.

Related stories on Indiana basketball