Busting Brackets
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Purdue Basketball: Review of 2020-21 depth chart and season outlook

By Drew Schmelzer

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 12: Trevion Williams #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers dribbles the ball against the Michigan State Spartan at Mackey Arena on January 12, 2020 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 12: Trevion Williams #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers dribbles the ball against the Michigan State Spartan at Mackey Arena on January 12, 2020 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 11: Eric Hunter Jr. #2 of the Purdue Boilermakers (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 11: Eric Hunter Jr. #2 of the Purdue Boilermakers (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Impact guards for Purdue Basketball

Perhaps one of the reasons that Head Coach Matt Painter hasn’t expressed much concern about the surprising transfer of starting guard Nojel Eastern is because there was a bit of a log jam in the backcourt. Eric Hunter Jr, Sasha Stefanovic and last seasons’ most impressive newcomer, Isaiah Thompson, are all going to see massive minutes at the guard position with Eastern’s transfer to Michigan.

On top of that, Brandon Newman, the Boilers’ top-rated freshman by 247 sports redshirted last season. The Valparaiso, IN native is a 6-5 guard with shooting ability that Eastern did not possess, making him a much better fit for the fast-paced offense that Painter has been running in recent years.

The loss of Eastern is mostly going to be a defensive worry for Purdue as he led the team in steals and was the best rebounder among the guards, but his per 40-minute offensive rating was one of the worst for any player in the big ten that played his type of minutes. I expect the Eastern (4.9 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 2.7 Ast) transfer to be a wash, especially with the upside that Newman brings to the table on the offensive end.

But wait! There is more…

Purdue brings in two top 100 guards into its 2020 freshman class. Jaden Ivey and Ethan Morton are ranked either the #1 or #2 recruit from their respective states of Indiana and Pennsylvania respectively and both should immediately register 20+ minutes, another potential sign of the “why” for Eastern’s unexpected departure.

Ivey is a shooter, and that is going to be huge for Sasha Stefanovic who was Purdue’s only reliable 3-point shooter in 2019-20. His 2.1 makes per game from behind the line were almost double the next Boilermaker and they were almost always under duress. Ivey’s addition should make Stefanovic even more of a threat this upcoming campaign.

Morton is far from a finished product but is a big combo guard who fits perfectly into Purdue’s defensive scheme. Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Player of the Year was two assists short of averaging a triple-double in his senior high school season in Butler, PA. He will be a difference-maker on both ends for the Boilers as he is best known for being a lockdown defender on the perimeter and in the post, both areas where Eastern shined.

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