My Two Cents: Anthony Leal Makes Most of Recent Minutes, But What Comes Next?

Sophomore guard Anthony Leal has stepped in and done some nice things for Indiana the past few weeks after a quiet start to the season. He got his first career start last week, and now the big question going forward will be to see how the minutes get doled out at those wing spots. It's crowded there.

Tom Brew | Dec 28, 2021

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The huge smile on his face was a dead giveaway. It meant the world to Anthony Leal to get the start in Indiana's game against Northern Kentucky last Wednesday.

The sophomore guard from Bloomington has grown up in Assembly Hall, and he's seen hundreds of Indiana starting lineups announced. And on Wednesday, it was his moment. He was the fifth and final Hoosier to be announced, replacing Parker Stewart in the lineup for the first time all year, and it was pure joy for the 6-foot-4. guard.

In a year-plus in a Hoosiers uniform, it was Leal's first career start. It was special, he said, "and hopefully the first of many.''

Leal didn't play at all in four of Indiana's first eight games, but he's been seeing more time lately. After playing only 45 total minutes in the first eight games, he's played 55 the last three.

He had two rebounds and an assist against Merrimack, three assists and a steal against Notre Dame and five assists, four rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes in his start against Northern Kentucky.

What he hasn't done in those games, though, is score a lot of points. And even though he's played great defense and been a good facilitator, he's scored just five points total in those three games. He just 2-for-9 shooting, and 1-of-8 from three-point range.

Despite not scoring much, Indiana coach Mike Woodson has been happy with Leal's play. He downplayed the start — mostly because he was trying to deflect the discipline that likely led to Parker Stewart not starting for the first time all year.

"Listen, five guys can start. It's all you can start in a game,'' Woodson said. "Parker didn't start tonight. Anthony started. I thought he played well.

"Everybody that plays on this team, I feel good about playing. So I mean that somebody's got to start and somebody's got to come off the bench and somebody's got to finish the game. It's just a part of basketball. I thought he played well as a starter. He did a good job for us.''

Leal is one of 13 pieces for Woodson to play chess with. He didn't use him much early, but now he's been helpful. His teammates have praised him from the beginning for working so hard in practice, and they knew his time — like everyone else's — will come.

"Anthony has a huge role on our team,'' Indiana star Trayce Jackson-Davis said. "I think he's starting to carve out that role and he knows what he needs to do. It has to be as a spot-up shooter and playing hard on defense, and he's doing that.

"He's just going to keep continuing to grow and get better because we need him on the floor, honestly. He is one of our best defenders on the team, and you saw that (against Notre Dame). He had a huge key stop on that dig, so props to him. His confidence is going to keep growing, and he is just going to keep getting better.''

The start meant a lot to Leal, the local boy. He's the first Bloomington kid to hear his name called at Assembly Hall since Jordan Hulls in 2013.

He was very excited when he heard the news — but he kept it quiet because he wanted to surprise his parents.

"I think it was Sunday or Monday when they told me I'd be starting,'' Leal said. "I mean, it's a blessing for sure. Obviously, when they first told me, I was in shock, but I just tried to focus on making the most of it and following the scout and making sure that we got off to a good start, that kind of stuff. Staying true to what I do and trusting myself.''

The moment he was introduced will be something he'll remember for a lifetime.

"It was very special. I couldn't really stop smiling. I didn't tell my parents because I wanted it to be a surprise for them. I had my sister make sure my grandparents and everybody was here to make sure they could experience it with me.''

Indiana's Anthony Leal (3) shoots during the first half the Indiana against Northern Kentucky on Wednesday. (Rich Janzaruk/USA TODAY Sports)

Woodson likes what Leal did with his opportunity, but he didn't talk much on his radio show Monday night about where we go from here.

"I thought Anthony played well with his minutes,'' Woodson said Monday night during his radio show, not wanting to go into why Leal started for Stewart for the first time all year. "I've got my reasons there, and I won't get into it with you guys. That's not to say he (Parker) won't get his (starting) job back or he won't increase his minutes."

With the Big Ten season right around the corner, starting Sunday at Penn State, it's going to be interesting to see how minutes get doled out. Whatever Stewart did to earn a demotion, it's going to be interesting to see how long the punishment lasts because the obvious fact remains that he's made a huge difference so far this season. He's making 49.1 percent of his threes, best in the Big Ten, and Jackson-Davis will be at his best inside if he's surrounded by knock-down shooters.

Leal can make shots — we know that. The fact that he didn't make them during this last little stretch isn't concerning, but it is problematic when the Big Ten season starts. The best thing about this Indiana team compared to a year ago is that the new guys — Xavier Johnson, Miller Kopp and Stewart — are shooting nearly 44 percent combined from three. That has to continue going forward, and the Hoosiers will need Leal to do that when he's on the floor.

The debate with playing time will continue for sure, especially on the wings. We already know what Stewart can do, and Woodson has used senior Rob Phinisee at the two-guard alongside Johnson as well. Freshman Tamar Bates deserves minutes, probably even more than he's been getting, and sophomore Trey Galloway is just a few weeks away from returning as well.

It's a crowd, for sure.

And it's not like extra minutes just appear overnight. If anything, the bench often shrinks during the conference season. I can see that up front with Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson, who are averaging 31 and 26 minutes respectively right now. That might need to grow.

So for Leal, he just needs to keep doing what he does, defending well, making plays, playing aggressively — and making shots.

Woodson is right. Only five guys can play at a time. So the five that are out there? They need to be good. Every night. Indiana wants to be better this year, and Woodson has lofty goals for this team. So do all 13 of the players.

One more nonconference game on Wednesday with UNC Asheville and then's it on. It's going to be interesting to see how all of this plays out.

Fun ... and interesting.

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