Mike Woodson had a message for Xavier Johnson coming out of Indiana’s Thursday night scrimmage: Don’t be a hero.

According to Woodson, Johnson occasionally got himself into trouble last season by trying to do too much. This season, Woodson believes the Hoosiers have a much better roster in place that should allow Johnson to play without having to force things.

“I told Xavier after the game: You don’t have to do it all this year,” said Woodson per Zach Osterman with the Indy Star. “You really don’t. I think we’ve got enough pieces on this team that you can just do your part and not have to stress out about thinking you have to do everything.”

Though Trayce Jackson-Davis was Indiana’s leading scorer and rebounder last season, Johnson was second on the team with 12.1 points per game and was the team’s leader in assists (5.1) and steals (1.2) per game. However, Johnson also led the Hoosiers with 2.7 turnovers per game.

Hopefully, the new additions to the roster relieve some of the pressure for Johnson during the 2022-23 season. The Hoosiers open the regular season Monday, Nov. 7 against Morehead State.