{"id":217960,"date":"2025-08-07T16:36:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/217960\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T16:36:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:36:10","slug":"lamar-wilkerson-is-the-complete-package-for-indiana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/217960\/","title":{"rendered":"Lamar Wilkerson is the complete package for Indiana"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Lamar Wilkerson<\/a> steps into Cook Hall, the temperature rises. Not from heat, but from energy \u2014 vibrant, contagious, relentless energy.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard from Ashdown, Arkansas is more than just a high-level transfer addition for Indiana head coach Darian DeVries<\/a>. He\u2019s a force, an engine, a culture shock. <\/p>\n

Call him what you want, but one thing is clear: Wilkerson is the complete and total package for the Hoosiers.<\/p>\n

Offense? Check. Leadership? Check. Vibes? Overflowing. Defense? Improving \u2014 and vocal.<\/p>\n

In a summer filled with transfer buzz, Wilkerson arrived in Bloomington rated as the No. 34 overall player in the portal. But numbers only tell part of the story. <\/p>\n

Indiana didn\u2019t just land a shooter. It landed a shot-maker, a shot-taker and, just as importantly, a shot of adrenaline.<\/p>\n

\u201cOffensively, I feel like my accolades speak for themself,\u201d Wilkerson said last week following Indiana\u2019s open practice. \u201cI can shoot the ball, I can space the floor, I bring a lot of gravity. It allows my teammates to do what they do best \u2014 get downhill and playmake.\u201d<\/p>\n

TRENDING: Tyrique Tucker emerging as key piece on Indiana\u2019s retooled defensive front<\/a><\/p>\n

He\u2019s not exaggerating. <\/p>\n

Wilkerson averaged 20.5 points per game last season at Sam Houston State and torched nets across the country, hitting 109 threes \u2014 seventh-most in the nation \u2014 at a blistering 44.5% clip. That percentage ranked seventh in Division I. <\/p>\n

Simply put: If Wilkerson has daylight, the scoreboard is in danger.<\/p>\n

Yet he\u2019s far from a one-dimensional sniper. Wilkerson converted 50% of his two-point attempts and sank 82.5% of his free throws. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s a three-level scorer who demands attention the moment he crosses half court \u2014 the kind of player whose presence alone opens the floor for everyone else. <\/p>\n

In DeVries\u2019 reimagined offense, where spacing and tempo will be paramount, Wilkerson figures to be both a centerpiece and a catalyst.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s one of those guys that can be a game-changer in terms of his ability to really score the basketball,\u201d DeVries said. \u201cI just like all the other things that he\u2019s brought. You can see on film his shot-making, but all the other intangible things he\u2019s brought have been really good for our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, the intangibles \u2014 the energy, the voice, the joy \u2014 are what make Wilkerson more than just a transfer. They make him indispensable.<\/p>\n

Wilkerson describes himself as an alpha, though he won\u2019t break down what exactly makes him one. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little biased coming from me,\u201d he grinned.<\/p>\n

But watch him for five minutes in practice or pregame warmups and it\u2019s obvious. Wilkerson is the spark plug \u2014 the guy dancing in the layup line, clapping after drills and checking in with teammates. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not performative. It\u2019s just who he is.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just how I\u2019ve always been. I\u2019ve always been a people person,\u201d Wilkerson said. \u201cI just love the game of basketball. This isn\u2019t work to me, this is like taking a kid to a park. That\u2019s how I feel. I come out here and I\u2019m always energetic. I\u2019m always trying to make everyone laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n

That levity isn\u2019t just welcomed in a locker room undergoing a lot of change \u2014 it\u2019s needed. With a new coaching staff, new schemes and a roster full of transfers, someone has to set the tone. <\/p>\n

Wilkerson, at 23, is embracing that role with pride.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do I bring to this team as a 23-year-old? Experience,\u201d Wilkerson said. \u201cI bring a lot of college experience and I bring a lot of energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even fellow energy-guy Sam Alexis<\/a> admits that Wilkerson is one of the few people who can match his enthusiasm. His teammates feel it. His coaches feel it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Lamar,\u201d DeVries said. \u201cLamar comes with great energy, brings a smile on his face every day. And that type of enthusiasm is contagious\u2026 He understands this is his last year. I think he\u2019s approached every day at a very high level.\u201d<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO: \u2018A tremendous benefit for us\u2019: Puerto Rico set to pay dividends on and off the court for Indiana<\/a><\/p>\n

Wilkerson\u2019s offense may be plug-and-play elite, but his defense is a work in progress \u2014 one that he\u2019s owning with refreshing honesty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have bad habits. I like to gamble, I like to go for steals,\u201d Wilkerson said. \u201cI feel like sometimes you need that risk on defense, someone that\u2019s going to sloppy things up\u2026 I\u2019m getting chewed out about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiles as he says it \u2014 because he knows he\u2019s evolving. <\/p>\n

Wilkerson\u2019s learning to toe the line between chaos and control, between havoc and help-side. And even when he\u2019s not perfect positionally, he\u2019s rarely quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy defensive energy, I just like to talk,\u201d he said when asked what his strongest defensive trait is.<\/p>\n

And talk he does. Communication, a lost art in some corners of modern college hoops, is a Wilkerson specialty. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s what turns defensive breakdowns into recoveries and quiet possessions into organized stops. And for a Hoosiers team likely to lean on its veteran voices, Wilkerson\u2019s chatter matters.<\/p>\n

This season is it for Wilkerson. The final chapter. The last dance. He knows it, and he\u2019s attacking it with urgency and joy in equal measure. <\/p>\n

From JUCO beginnings at Three Rivers College to mid-major stardom at Sam Houston State, his journey has been his own. <\/p>\n

Even now on the Big Ten stage, Wilkerson brings the same relentless energy and joy that\u2019s fueled his rise every step of the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you come through those doors, you leave everything in the outside world there,\u201d Wilkerson said. \u201cThis right here, this should be fun at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mindset is exactly why Wilkerson fits in Bloomington. Indiana isn\u2019t just hungry for banners \u2014 it\u2019s searching for identity as the program turns the page into a new era inside Assembly Hall. It\u2019s searching for fire. For fun. And in Lamar Wilkerson, it just might have found all three.<\/p>\n

Wilkerson isn\u2019t just a scorer, though he scores plenty. He\u2019s not just a leader, though his teammates follow him. And he\u2019s not just an energy guy, though few bring more.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s the total package \u2014 a shot-making alpha with infectious energy, a loud defender, a confident leader and a joyful presence. That\u2019s Lamar Wilkerson.<\/p>\n

Not yet a member of TheHoosier?\u00a0\u00a0Join our community for Just $1 for your first week and get a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership. Join\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Use the code \u201cIND20\u201d on\u00a0Rhoback.com<\/a>\u00a0for a generous 20% off for all new customers through the end of this week. Rhoback \u2014 Best Fit, Best Feel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Lamar Wilkerson steps into Cook Hall, the temperature rises. Not from heat, but from energy \u2014 vibrant,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217961,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3724],"tags":[7,97,14578,38025],"class_list":{"0":"post-217960","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-in","10":"tag-indiana-hoosiers-bloomington","11":"tag-lamar-wilkerson-21-ashdown"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114988462026410731","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}