BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana men’s basketball is a third of the way through its season. Twelve games are in the books with a minimum of 19 to go, though it will likely be more assuming the Hoosiers make the Big Ten Tournament.

With the usual Christmas pause in games upon us, it’s a good time to look at Indiana’s most important contributors and how they’ve fared so far.

All players who have played 10 minutes per game will be considered except Anthony Leal. The senior has not played in enough games (Leal only reached 10 minutes in four of the six games he played) to have a workable sample size.

The series continues with guard Kanaan Carlyle.

Kanaan Carlyle: Tale Of The Tape

Points, Rebounds, Assists: 5.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2 apg.

Percentages: 32.8 FG%, 47.8 2P%, 23.7 3P%, 40%

Advanced stats: 19% usage, -0.1 Offensive Win Shares, 0.3 Defensive Win Shares, 0.2 Overall Win Shares.

Explanation: Points produced and points allowed are included in the advanced box score provided to the media via live stats from each game.

Points produced and points allowed are based on how many points a player is responsible for or allows while on the court based on a per 100 possessions standard. The formula, developed by basketball analyst Dr. Dean Oliver, is way too complicated to explain here, but that’s the basic premise.

Net points is merely the points produced with points allowed subtracted.

Foul trouble is a measure I did myself. Foul trouble is obviously important because it compromises the rotation, but if a player plays with fouls, it can also compromise their defense.

A player qualified as being in foul trouble if: a) they picked up two fouls in the first half; b) picked up a third foul before 15 minutes are left in the second half; or c) picked up a fourth foul before five minutes are left in the second half.

The reason for this standard is to eliminate accumulated fouls late in the game that are done purposely to put the opposition at the free throw line. Those are not fouls that are bad or that necessarily compromise the team in the way earlier fouls do.

What’s Been Good

Carlyle stands out for his on-ball defense. When his man has the ball, Carlyle sticks with him and plays good fundamental defense by keeping himself between the man and the rim.

Because of that, Carlyle is an opportunistic defender. He has averaged 0.9 steals, not bad considering he’s barely playing over 20 minutes per game.

Carlyle has also been a solid distributor as he averaged 2 assists per game against just 1.2 turnovers.

Carlyle’s scoring hasn’t been part of his game, but he rises up from time to time. He had 14 against Minnesota and 12 against South Carolina.

He’s fought injuries – a non-specific lower body injury cost him three games –  so perhaps he needs some time to get healthier to be more aggressive offensively.

What Needs Work

Like so many other Hoosiers, Carlyle is inconsistent. Mixed among the occasional scoring bursts are two scoreless games and several low-scoring performances. It’s not just points. Rebound numbers have fluctuated wildly, too.

When this series featured Myles Rice, one of the strengths noted for Rice was that the more he shot, the more he scored. Carlyle is an example of this phenomenon going the other direction.

In the seven games in which Carlyle has taken five or more shots, he’s only topped 50% from the field twice, and he’s been below 33% four times.

Carlyle doesn’t get to the line much, and when he does he struggles at 40%. Three-point shooting is at 23.7%. Again, the injury might have something to do with this, but Indiana was hoping for more.

While Carlyle’s on-ball defense has been solid, it comes with a price. He’s been in foul trouble in six of the nine games he’s played.

Is The Scheme Helping?

Carlyle has basically played the role everyone expected. He’s a defensive stopper who can break down a defense with dribble-penetration.

I don’t think Mike Woodson’s system has stopped Carlyle from playing his game. I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet from Carlyle that suggests there’s a hidden part of his game that is being suppressed.

Carlyle is less of a problem than some of Indiana’s other guards in the Hoosiers’ poor perimeter defense, but it’s a collective problem that hasn’t been solved by the coaching staff nor via improved player performance yet.