Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Tournament MVP, Big Ten All-Freshman, Big Ten Regular Season Champions, and the Big Ten Tournament Champions. What did Purdue Basketball not win during the 2022-23 season? The answer as we all know, is a single game in the NCAA tournament, as they were upset by No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson by the score of 63-58 in the East First Round.
The loss to the Knights was the only non-conference loss Head Coach Matt Painter had to endure over the season as the Boilermakers only lost five other games. Only two of those losses were on their home court and only the loss at Maryland was by double-digits. The Boilermakers were also all over the top of the conference in team statistics and a lot of the same will be happening this season at Mackey Arena as Brandon Newman is the lone departure from the Boilermakers’ roster.
On the way to claiming a number of individual awards and team conference championships, the Boilermakers did so with nine players averaging double-digit minutes and going ten players deep. With the huge return of players from last season’s roster, ‘way too early‘ polls have Purdue as a No. 2 seed, and, to no surprise, early bracketology has the Boilermakers capturing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
In lieu of simply copying and pasting last year’s breakdown of the Boilermakers’ depth chart, let us take into consideration the roles in which the returning players will fill and how transfer Lance Jones and freshman Myles Colvin fit into this already-established rotation.
Point guard
Starter – Braden Smith: 9.7 ppg / 4.4 apg / 4.2 rpg /30.3 mpg
The 6-foot guard’s minutes may be the safest in college basketball. Not only is the sophomore talented, as he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in no small part due to ranking sixth in assists per game, ninth in steals, and third in free-throw percentage in the conference, but Coach Painter does not have a backup point guard to challenge Braden Smith for minutes.
The Westfield, Indiana native is a threat to score whenever he has the ball in his hands as he is always looking to get to the basket. His aggressive mentality was illustrated last season as he attempted the tenth most free throws in the Big Ten. It is also an aspect of his game that has carried over to the Boilermakers’ four-game European tour as he attempted ten in four games. Because of his ability to take defenders off the dribble, with or without a ball screen, defenders frequently back off him which allows him to pull up and hit elbow jumpers.
Off the bench – Lance Jones: 13.8 ppg / 3 rpg / 2.4 apg / 31 mpg
The most glaring hole Coach Painter had last season was at backup point guard. The transfer of 6 foot 1 Lance Jones from Southern Illinois may have just filled that hole. Not only will Jones maintain the offense laid down by Smith in terms of taking his defender off the dribble, but Jones can also get hot from beyond the arc, something that his 28 percent from the three-point line does not indicate, it must be noted that he did hit at least four from deep in six games last season and when it comes to Jones, the adjective ‘deep’ means something because he will launch from 25 or more feet.
During the four games in Europe, Jones went two for thirteen from the arc, something that will need to improve if he hopes to prevent his defender from doubling down on Zach Edey.
Limited minutes – Chase Martin: 4 gp / 7 total minutes
The mechanical engineering major appeared in four games last season and attempted just three field goals, while is role does not project to change much during the 2023-24 season, during the four games he appeared in during the European tour the 6 foot 2 guard attempted four field goals and connected on three of them. He is a hard-nosed player that executes the fundamentals and will be instrumental during team scrimmages.
Shooting guard
Starter – Fletcher Loyer: 11 ppg / 2.4 apg / 28.9 mpg
As a freshman Fletcher Loyer had nine games with 17 or more points, with a season-high 27 in a victory over Nebraska. In the same manner that his backcourt partner is a threat to drive or shoot, Loyer is the opposite as he is a threat to shoot first and drive second. Either Smith or Loyer can run the offense while on the court together, but the 6-foot-4 Loyer does a lot of his scoring coming off a cross screen to get a hand off at the top of the key. Plus, as one of the shooters surrounding Zach Edey, Loyer is often on the weak side when he receives the ball after the extra swing pass and uses a pump fake to dribble and pull up.
Last season saw Loyer connect on over 33 percent of his three-point attempts, which were the tenth most attempts in the conference. While starting the 35 games he appeared in, Loyer was behind Braden Smith and Mason Gillis in terms of success from behind the arc. Although, if the four-game tour in Europe is any indication, he will once again be launching the most attempts.
In those games, Loyer attempted 22 three-pointers, five more than Gillis, and connected on seven, the second most makes on Purdue. As the second-leading scorer on the team, Loyer is going to have plenty of opportunities on the court this season.
Off the bench – Myles Colvin: Freshman
Myles Colvin joins the Boilermakers coming off an impressive summer when he jumped 23 places to land as the No. 74 recruit on the RSCI, with Rivals ranking him the highest at No. 50. The 6 foot 5 shooting guard continued to impress in the three games he played in Europe by totaling 39 points while connecting on eight three-pointers (team-high) on his twelve attempts.
His athleticism cannot be denied as he can either start the fast break or get ahead of the play in transition and finish a fast break at the rim. In the half-court game, he is not afraid to shoot from deep, making him a perfect replacement for Loyer in order to maintain the offense. In the FIBA U19 World Cup, he averaged just over ten minutes per game and went 6 for 16 from beyond the arc in the six games he played.
Limited minutes – Carson Barrett: 5 gp / 6 total points / 11 total mp
The 6 foot 5 guard is the Central Catholic High School all-time leader in assists and in scoring. As a member of the Boilermakers, he will be saddled with the task of making Fletcher Loyer earn everything in scrimmages. The limited minutes that Barrett will play this season is not entirely a comment on his skill, but that of the Boilermakers’ backcourt. As his per 40 minutes stats are over 21 points and almost 11 rebounds per game.
Small forward
Starter – Ethan Morton: 3.8 ppg / 2.4 apg / 25.1 mpg
The 2020 No. 85 ranked freshman played his junior year with the Boilermakers last season and started 29 of the 35 games he appeared in. Ethan Morton was nursing an ailment to his hamstring and consequently missed the Boilermakers’ four-game Euro trip. At 6 foot 6 and 215 pounds, Morton is able to play physical on the inside, yet be able to defend on the perimeter and not have to switch on screens. This is particularly important as opposing centers will draw Zach Edey out of the paint by setting screens.
In terms of the offensive side of the court, there is a reason he averaged fewer than four points per game, as his game consists mostly of hanging out in a corner in case Edey kicks it out to him, or using off-the-ball cross screens to cut free-throw line and eventually just clear out of the paint.
Off the bench – Brian Waddell: 9 total points / 8.3 mpg
A lot of the Brian Waddell‘s time was spent on the bench as a freshman, and while he will be getting off the bench for more playing time as a sophomore, a lot of those minutes could be lost to Mason Gillis. Early evidence for the European tour suggests that Waddell will take a step forward this season. In those four games the high school 15.8 points per game player scored 39 points on 21 field goal attempts. Granted, that total of field goals was fewer than any starter or off-the-bench player discussed in this article, but it is two more than he attempted in 17 games last season. His four made three-pointers on eleven attempts are the most telling, for that is the one aspect Coach Painter will utilize in order to surround Edey.
After missing all eight of his three-point attempts last season, if Waddell remains anywhere near a 36 percent shooter from beyond the arc he will prevent Coach Painter from trying to turn Mason Gillis into more of a swingman than he already is.
Power forward
Starter – Caleb Furst: 5.5 ppg /4.6 rpg / 14.6 mpg
The 2021 No. 62 ranked freshman started 21 games in his sophomore season and just like everybody else in the Boilermakers’ frontcourt (who is not named Zach Edey) his minutes were anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five per game while his scoring was limited.
In his second season, Caleb Furst’s emergence as a starter corresponded with the absence of Mason Gillis, Furst would remain a starter for nineteen games until Coach Painter instilled Gillis back into the starting lineup at the expense of Furst. At the very least Furst should get the first crack at starting as his game corresponds nicely with Edey’s and Gillis is more versatile off the bench.
Furst is not a big player but at 6 foot 10 he likes to hang out in the corner and then replace the driving guard up top and await a kick out. However, last season he shot just 29 percent from beyond the arc and he went one for eight in the Euro trip. The height advantage he has on Gillis allows Furst to sink to the open spot in the paint and easily finish at the rim when his defender double-teams Edey in the post.
Off the bench – Mason Gillis: 6.8 ppg /3.8 rpg / 20.5 mpg
In his junior year, Mason Gillis was a starter in Purdue’s first seven games of the season as he started alongside Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Ethan Morton. Then the 6 foot 6 forward missed three games and was replaced by Caleb Furst, Eventually Gillis would finish off Purdue’s season as a starter alongside Smith, Loyer, and new starter Brandon Newman. Needless to say, the swingman position was murky waters last season and it may not be any clearer.
During the Euro trip, it was revealed that Gillis was going to be part of the offense, but it was slightly enhanced due to the absence of Morton. However, Gillis scored the fourth most points (Morton and Edey did not play) while attempting the second-most three-pointers. Granted his five for seventeen was not at the 35 percent he shot last season, but it is still an indication of how he will be allowed to shoot. That might be the way he eats at some of Morton’s and/or Furts’ minutes. For whoever has the hot hand while spotting up waiting for a Zach Edey kick out, will be the one getting the most minutes.
Limited minutes – Sam King: 7 total minutes
It is entirely possible that Brian Waddell gets more run at power forward than the 6-foot-8 forward whose only stat was a rebound in the four games he played as a freshman. Things have been looking up early for the above 15 points a game high schooler, as he attempted a field goal and grabbed four rebounds during the Boilermakers’ European trip.
Center
Starter – Zach Edey: 22.3 ppg / 12.9 rpg / 31.7 mpg
Hundreds of words could be written about all the Player of the Year awards won by the 7 foot 4 Canadian. They, however, would be a waste, because everybody knows that. Fewer words would be required to discuss his performance during the European trip, for the mere fact that he did not appear in any games, yet somehow would still warrant a discussion.
He is more likely to go beyond the free-throw line on offense than he is to do so while on defense. He will set high screens off the ball and when he receives the pass, Smith will curl off him for a handoff while Edey spins and rolls to the basket for the offensive rebound. In the post it is virtually impossible to stop using just one defender, help usually comes from the weak side as a double down makes the kick out, too easy.
At times Ethan Morton will set a back screen for him in the paint to receive a strong side entry pass. Then, there is always the pick’n’roll with Braden Smith where opponents have to make the decision who to leave open. This is before even mentioning the two assists per game he racks up by passing to Furst out of the double team.
Off the bench – Trey Kaufman-Renn: 4.5 ppg / 11.3 mpg
The 2023-24 season is going to be a breakout season for the 6-foot-9 sophomore. The clearest evidence of that is how Trey Kaufman-Renn led the Boilermakers’, with Edey’s absence, by scoring 72 points on the European trip, thirty more than the second leading scorer Caleb Furst. Not only can the 2021 No. 37 ranked freshman play center, but if Furst or Gillis spend any time at small forward, Kaufman-Renn can slide over to power forward and play alongside Zach Edey.
Coach Painter would relish the idea of reducing Edey’s minutes, however, Coach Painter would stop short of the timeshare Edey had with Travion Williams a couple of years back. Listed at 6 foot 9 and 230 pounds, he is twenty pounds heavier than last season’s listing. All of which will make setting the high screens easier as he rolls to the basket for the finish. As well the extra weight will help him create space for a forward hook in the paint.
Limited minutes – Will Berg: Redshirt
It is very possible that Caleb Furst spends more time at center than the 7-foot-2 center this season. Having redshirted last season, the member of the Swedish U18 National Team still has four years of eligibility remaining and Coach Painter can keep Berg a project to work on as long as Edey is around. Edey will be great opposition for Berg to defend all season in practice in order to prepare for next season.