Nick Dorn didn’t just give Indiana a spark - he’s become a full-blown offensive ignition switch.
Since stepping into a larger role midseason, Dorn has transformed the Hoosiers’ attack into something far more dynamic. His offensive box score plus/minus - a stat that measures a player’s overall impact on scoring while on the floor - sits at a team-best 6.0.
That’s not just impressive in-house; it ranks 64th in all of Division I and 16th in the Big Ten. In short, Dorn hasn’t just been good - he’s been one of the most impactful offensive players in the conference.
And the centerpiece of his game? The three-ball.
At 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, Dorn has the size to play through contact, but it’s his shooting stroke that’s really turning heads. He’s hitting 44.3% from deep on 106 attempts - and that volume is climbing fast.
Over Indiana’s last four games, Dorn has averaged 36 minutes and 10.8 three-point attempts per contest. That’s elite-level usage, and he’s responding like a seasoned vet.
In that same four-game stretch, he’s actually improved his accuracy, knocking down 46.5% from beyond the arc. Volume and efficiency rarely go hand-in-hand, but Dorn is making it look routine.
And he’s not just a catch-and-shoot guy. Dorn is filling up the stat sheet with elite-level efficiency across the board.
He’s converting 77.3% of his two-point attempts, finishing around the rim with poise and timing - often slipping behind defenders on smart back cuts. He’s also cashing in at the line, hitting 88.6% of his free throws.
And perhaps most impressively, he’s turned the ball over just once in the last four games. That’s not just good shooting - that’s heady, efficient basketball.
His emergence has completely shifted the way defenses have to approach Indiana. Dorn joins Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries as perimeter threats who simply can’t be left alone. That trio is stretching defenses to the brink - and the ripple effects are showing up all over the floor.
Just ask Purdue head coach Matt Painter, who had a front-row seat to Dorn’s breakout performance. After Dorn dropped 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting from deep against the Boilermakers, Painter didn’t mince words.
“Nick Dorn is probably the difference in the game if you want to look at players,” Painter said. “I thought he was really good.
And a couple times, you know, he hit a couple tough ones. A couple times we got guys just giving him space.
You just can’t give him space.”
That’s the problem for defenses now - giving Dorn space is a non-starter, but crowding him opens up everything else. With defenses stretched out to the arc, Indiana’s interior players are suddenly thriving.
Reed Bailey, for example, has gone 9-of-11 from the field over the last two games and drawn 18 free throw attempts. Sam Alexis is 10-of-16 over the last four.
That kind of frontcourt efficiency doesn’t happen in a vacuum - it’s a direct result of the floor spacing Dorn and company are creating.
Indiana head coach Darian DeVries summed it up well after the Hoosiers’ recent win at UCLA.
“He fits well with what we try to do and the spacing that we want to have on the floor,” DeVries said. “I thought the guys did a good job really finding him, feeding him, and then it was able to put some stress in some other areas… He’s just a great fit for us in terms of what we’re trying to do offensively.”
But as Dorn’s stock rises, Indiana is also navigating a key roster challenge: the return of Tayton Conerway.
Conerway has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Jan. 17 and has seen limited action in just two of the last four games. His absence opened the door for Dorn’s expanded role - and now, with Conerway nearing full health, DeVries faces the delicate task of reintegrating one of his top offensive weapons without disrupting the chemistry Dorn has helped create.
The good news? This doesn’t have to be an either-or situation.
Dorn absolutely needs to remain a starter and play significantly more than the 17.1 minutes per game he was averaging before Conerway’s injury. That’s a no-brainer.
But Conerway is too talented - especially in one-on-one situations - to be minimized. In fact, his ability to attack off the dribble might be the perfect complement to Dorn’s gravity as a shooter.
We got a glimpse of that synergy when Indiana beat Rutgers earlier this season. Conerway thrived in the open space created by Dorn’s presence, and that’s the blueprint moving forward: find ways for both to coexist and elevate one another.
It also helps that Conor Enright has been playing some of his best basketball lately, especially on the defensive end and as a facilitator. With Enright and Conerway both capable of running the offense, Indiana has options - and depth - at the point guard spot.
The key will be staggering minutes and managing rotations so that Indiana keeps its spacing and shooting on the floor without overextending players. Some guys have been logging heavy minutes lately, and with foul trouble always lurking, spreading the workload could be a hidden benefit.
Bottom line: Dorn’s emergence has changed the calculus for Indiana. He’s not just a hot hand - he’s a foundational piece of what’s quickly becoming one of the more potent offenses in the Big Ten. And if the Hoosiers can strike the right balance with Conerway and Enright in the mix, this team’s ceiling just got a whole lot higher.