NCAA Basketball: Top 25 team frontcourts heading into 2021-22 season
. . Boilermakers . 6. team. 492.
The Big Ten had so many quality big men last season, Purdue star big Trevion Williams managed to fall under the radar. He was another All-Big Ten performer, leading the team with 15.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg on 53% shooting from the field. The 6’10 big man is one of the best low-post scorers in the country and had eight games of at least 20 points last season, including a career-high 30 against Indiana State.
Williams is back, along with almost the entire roster for the Boilermakers. That includes 7’4 center Zach Edey, one of the biggest impact freshmen of last season. Due to him and Williams not being very compatable on the court together since neither can space the floor, Edey was limited to just 14 mpg off the bench. However, his per 40 numbers was 23.6 ppg and 12.3 rpg.
To replace the outgoing Aaron Wheeler, Purdue landed a pair of top-60 frontcourt recruits in Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Furst, who participated in the U19 Team USA sqaud this summer, can space the floor and be a complementary piece for either Edey and Williams on the court. And Kaufmann-Penn is a long-term player for the program that’ll get minutes once Williams departs.
If Williams and Edey could play together better, the Boilermakers could make a case of having one of the 2 or 3 best frontcourts in the country. Still, this team won’t ever have to worry about a backdrop in production no matter who is on the court, which is why they’re a preseason top-10 team for next season.