I don't give a damn about any reasonable order here, so today is Trey Kaufman-Renn.
OUTLOOK FOR THE SEASON
The redshirt freshman is going to be one of the more interesting players on Purdue's roster this season, in part because he's someone who has a chance to give the Boilermakers some offensive punch but will have to do so through Purdue scheming him opportunities, by providing him space to work with.
Kaufman-Renn has been described to me as Purdue's second-best low-post scorer, but also has enough game to him where he can isolate other forwards and either bully smaller guys or terrorize bigger and slower players out of face-ups. He can shoot threes, but time will tell how consistently that part of his game clicks.
Purdue does have a glut of players at the 4 and 5, and Kaufman-Renn figures to primarily play the 4, but could also play the 5. The question, though, becomes under what circumstances that would occur, because Zach Edey and Caleb Furst should be able to handle all 40 most every night.
The best guess here is that Purdue cobbles together 15-20 minutes a game for Kaufman-Renn and tries to leverage his skill set offensively and on the glass while also looking closely at his defensive matchups when moving those minute numbers up and down. That's just a best guess.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
Kaufman-Renn is a very bright and eager dude and should be a pretty low-maintenance player. He'll listen, work really hard and want to do well. Those are givens, and that sort of stuff is half the battle.
He's also going to be very physical, and finding that balance between being physical and fouling can be an adjustment.
Likewise, his feet are not the quickest, so holding up defensively in switches or against quicker forwards will be an emphasis, as it was for Caleb Furst last season.
BIGGEST QUESTION(S)
The biggest questions here may not have to do with the player as much as they do the infrastructure.
How does Purdue use him? How much do they really scheme to feature him offensively? I personally think the Kaufman-Renn-and-Furst high-low game can be deadly offensively, but that's going to require some configuration, as would spacing the floor to give him room to either back someone down or drive past someone. That said, can Kaufman-Renn do what he does offensively as effectively with Zach Edey on the floor crowding the lane?
Truthfully, there aren't many questions about Kaufman-Renn from a makeup perspective. He's good enough to help now and he's mature and driven enough to fit right in. Very much like Caleb Furst a year ago.
But Purdue is going to have to put him in positions, too, to be as productive as he can be.
The biggest questions lie on defense, but you can say that about damn near this whole team, so ...
BOTTOM LINE
I think both Furst and Kaufman-Renn can be great players for Purdue. You saw flashes from Furst last season and now you'll see more sustained flashes. Kaufman-Renn could be on the same trajectory, just a year behind.
I'd expect a robust role — again, 18-20 minutes a game — and some offensive contributions and help on the glass. How much he can help offensively will depend on Purdue's ability to get him into matchups and his consistency shooting the three and at the foul line, because I think he can be a player who'll draw a lot of fouls. He is not as explosive as Carl Landry, but I think there can be some modest parallels there.
OUTLOOK FOR THE SEASON
The redshirt freshman is going to be one of the more interesting players on Purdue's roster this season, in part because he's someone who has a chance to give the Boilermakers some offensive punch but will have to do so through Purdue scheming him opportunities, by providing him space to work with.
Kaufman-Renn has been described to me as Purdue's second-best low-post scorer, but also has enough game to him where he can isolate other forwards and either bully smaller guys or terrorize bigger and slower players out of face-ups. He can shoot threes, but time will tell how consistently that part of his game clicks.
Purdue does have a glut of players at the 4 and 5, and Kaufman-Renn figures to primarily play the 4, but could also play the 5. The question, though, becomes under what circumstances that would occur, because Zach Edey and Caleb Furst should be able to handle all 40 most every night.
The best guess here is that Purdue cobbles together 15-20 minutes a game for Kaufman-Renn and tries to leverage his skill set offensively and on the glass while also looking closely at his defensive matchups when moving those minute numbers up and down. That's just a best guess.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
Kaufman-Renn is a very bright and eager dude and should be a pretty low-maintenance player. He'll listen, work really hard and want to do well. Those are givens, and that sort of stuff is half the battle.
He's also going to be very physical, and finding that balance between being physical and fouling can be an adjustment.
Likewise, his feet are not the quickest, so holding up defensively in switches or against quicker forwards will be an emphasis, as it was for Caleb Furst last season.
BIGGEST QUESTION(S)
The biggest questions here may not have to do with the player as much as they do the infrastructure.
How does Purdue use him? How much do they really scheme to feature him offensively? I personally think the Kaufman-Renn-and-Furst high-low game can be deadly offensively, but that's going to require some configuration, as would spacing the floor to give him room to either back someone down or drive past someone. That said, can Kaufman-Renn do what he does offensively as effectively with Zach Edey on the floor crowding the lane?
Truthfully, there aren't many questions about Kaufman-Renn from a makeup perspective. He's good enough to help now and he's mature and driven enough to fit right in. Very much like Caleb Furst a year ago.
But Purdue is going to have to put him in positions, too, to be as productive as he can be.
The biggest questions lie on defense, but you can say that about damn near this whole team, so ...
BOTTOM LINE
I think both Furst and Kaufman-Renn can be great players for Purdue. You saw flashes from Furst last season and now you'll see more sustained flashes. Kaufman-Renn could be on the same trajectory, just a year behind.
I'd expect a robust role — again, 18-20 minutes a game — and some offensive contributions and help on the glass. How much he can help offensively will depend on Purdue's ability to get him into matchups and his consistency shooting the three and at the foul line, because I think he can be a player who'll draw a lot of fouls. He is not as explosive as Carl Landry, but I think there can be some modest parallels there.
