Just wanted to point out that the Sophomore has 38 assists and only 8 TOs, in the Tourney so far.
For a 9.5 assist / 2 TO ratio
That is effing insane effciency.
For a 9.5 assist / 2 TO ratio
That is effing insane effciency.
Braden Smith
- Thread starter DenverBoiler
- Start date
That man is on a mission. It also speaks to the other guys' ability to finish what he dishes out.
His rebounding is impressive as well at 6 a game. I was hoping for a triple double against Gonzaga but he was 2 rebounds short.
His high water mark for TO's was against UT and Ziegler who is arguably the best on ball defender in college - 7 assist and 3 TOs.
Rebounds, scores when needed. He develops his shot even more (pull up and step back) and he will absolutely have a shot at the next level.
I swear he reminds me of an undersized guard from Santa Clara who went on and won two MVPs with the Phoenix Suns - Steve Nash
Rebounds, scores when needed. He develops his shot even more (pull up and step back) and he will absolutely have a shot at the next level.
I swear he reminds me of an undersized guard from Santa Clara who went on and won two MVPs with the Phoenix Suns - Steve Nash
Was amazed by his composure and handle against TN's Zig, who is a demon on ball defender. Zig gave him difficulty in game 1, minimal problems in game 2.....showing Smith's growth this year
But to hear NC ST fans tell it, he's going to be lit up by their guards
Braden needs to be able to blow by people and get a shot whenever he wants to get to the next level. He hasn’t shown that much this year and I don’t know if it’s more so because Zach clogs the lane/strategy doesn’t allow for him to do so as much this year or if he doesn’t have that yet. BUT he has two years to develop that skill and refine everything else, so if that happens, I agree!
Many people, including folks on this board, predicted all year long that Purdue would struggle against guards from various teams. Purdue guards proved they could handle anything that came at them. But I was always happy to see the warnings from folks, because it helped temper expectations and set up anticipation for how they would respond. And I'm sure our guards were hearing the conventional wisdom and accepted the challenge.
The game against NC State is one where Braden should feast in the PNR. Their big isn’t fast enough to recover and he should be able to get to the basket easily. He should also be using that mid range shot as well since it will be open.
Curious when we get to Arizona and how much practice time we get. I hate the stupid elevated courts. Perhaps nightmares from Robbie in the barn and that Louisville player who got hurt during the title game.
Curious when we get to Arizona and how much practice time we get. I hate the stupid elevated courts. Perhaps nightmares from Robbie in the barn and that Louisville player who got hurt during the title game.
Oh yeah apparently we've not seen defensive backcourt pressure like NCST
At this point, nothing Purdue does will prove they are a good team it seems to non Purdue fans lol.
Like how many times are we going to hear this? We heard this all year and I’m pretty sure no one ever said “NC State’s backcourt is a lockdown defense”. Looking at some quick metrics they are ranked pretty low.
I don’t doubt they are good, since they’re in the F4, but not sure how they’re better than what we have seen in UTs back court, Rutgers back court (included them due to metrics) or Hepburn from Wisconsin.
Guess we will see what happens, but the narrative is just overplayed at this point.
Completely agree. I was re-watching the Marquette game from Hawaii last night. Geezus that was a physical game and they were all over Braden, I just didn't remember it being that rough. No way NC State has anything like that for us.
That's OK. This season is for Purdue and their fans. The Boilers don't play to make other fanbases or the ignorant talking heads happy.
DJ Burns might surprise us. Word is he's very nimble for a man his size.
I expect it to get physical around the basket. The foul situation could be key.
I watched a couple of their games today to see what they got, their one guard Horne looks pretty good w/ a variety of shots and quickness
Be interesting when Burns is defending Zach on a high ball screen. Does Braden pull up for his mid range depending where Burns is, or takes it to the rim depending on where burns is and if Diarra helps on a drive...who is in the corner for Braden to hit. ZAch is a bigger screener than NCS sees and Braden can stop and go well enough that if he gets a step he can get to the rim...so can Lance...so can Fletch if Burns is anywhere but low and the help D is covering people. The age of them concerns me. They are older and will be stronger and if Zach is in drop or a sag... to help on any drives...someone has to defend another big and rebound
Obviously a joke, TN was a much tougher defensive backcourt than NC State will be.
Our improvement in ball handling is partially because of the improvement in Smith, but if i had to pick one thing its the addition of Lance Jones and his ability to be a secondary ball handler. Also Colvin is a surprisingly decent ball handler. He isnt a great passer, but as a pure ball handler he is much better than I expected.
But Braden alone is a solid 9 out of 10 with his ball handling skills, His passing and ball handling are both elite for the college level.
I'm expecting a game where we score a lot of points.
I'm not sure NCST won't be the worst defense we've played in the tournament, including Grambling State. Maybe exaggerating a bit on GS, but I thought GS had a good game plan just not the talent to execute.
If he compares with Trevion, I expect a dog fight. If Edey stays out of foul trouble, I'll feel pretty good.
I think the version of Braden that is probing is the best version of Braden. It will be interesting to see what action we run to pull Diarra away from rim protection because he is quick. That is why I think Mason will see a lot of minutes and get some wide open looks. I can also see Braden threading some passes to TKR when Diarra leaves him to help at the rim.
I think Jones will be on Horne most of the game. Size and speed to help slow him down.
Yeah, just posted Lance on Horne. Braden will probe, but I see some mid range shots for him as well as beating Burns to the basket and hitting Diarra's man should Diarra help on a drive. Purdue just can't have a bad game out of Braden, Lance, Fletch and Zach. One of Trey or Mason will help. Burns I don't think can defend Trey and if Mason is on...Diarra has to cover that shot. Wish we had skill out of Caleb and knew he could front post players. I'd consider him if he could do that and had skill trying to keep the ball out of Burns hands with his quickness and length and have Zach sag off of Diarra to cover the lane and keep Diarra off the boards with Caleb sprinting down the court, but I fear that ship has sailed. STill have Cam and Myles that will get some minutes.
