After every game we'll have a late night Burning of the Midnight Boil where I'll give quick analysis to the most recent Purdue game.
Trey Kaufman-Renn - Oh my. The redshirt freshman impressed. Coach Painter has talked about his ability to bully on the inside - he did it against Cincinnati and he did it again against Truman State. He's bigger than I thought he'd be and was a monster in the post and on the glass. He wants the offensive rebound. Very impressive. Not sure he's going to threaten Gillis's starting spot - Gillis didn't shoot the ball well today but he's still a bit of a better fit next to Edey. That said, Kaufman-Renn's first three was a catch, don't even think about it, and splash dagger from the wing.
David Jenkins Jr. - He's going to be hard to keep out of the starting lineup. Two plays in the game really stand out to me, one a made three, the other a missed lay up. The writer next to me asked if he reminded me of Terone Johnson and he's certainly a similarly stocky guard, but I was really impressed with his quickness. His missed lay up happened on an in and out move that absolutely froze his defender and gave him an open lane at the top of the key. The other play was just a simple pick and roll where the big went to set a screen and before the defender could even brace for impact, Jenkins was dropping one in the net. The offense entirely changed when Jenkins came into the game. Instead of motion, they went to a variety of pick and rolls up top. His threat to shoot is going to be a lot for teams scared of our bigs getting loose on the inside. Surprisingly when I asked Painter if he had seen this in the off season, he said no. That Jenkins had been trying to fit in. That just in the last couple weeks he was starting to be a little more assertive and get in better shape. Painter reiterated he wants Jenkins taking those shots. Purdue's offensive struggles this year will come and I was worried about them, but Jenkins as a dynamic pick and roll player was an answer that's looking better than I imagined. He was much more of an off ball player for Utah. Interesting to see how much he'll have the keys to run the offense.
Zach Edey - My favorite play in college basketball is Edey moving into the paint and to the rim before he's even caught the pass. He had a few plays where he's clearing space to the rim as the ball is coming to him. Edey looked as dominant as ever.
Brandon Newman - Newman looked really good. He mentioned it helped to have plays called for him and Painter got him an open two off a curl in his first offensive possession. He drained it. He was efficient and took what the defense gave him. Encouraging start to the season.
Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer - Neither got their jumper going. It didn't stop Loyer at all who had a bunch of good looks. They'll eventually fall. That jump shot is pure, but the reason I was so high on him is everything else. He had 6 assists and 0 turnovers. Knows how to play and gets the ball into the post. Smith on the other hand... didn't totally look ready. Struggled to create angles for himself to get into the lane and didn't look for his shot besides a pull up three in transition. Didn't make too many mistakes but definitely nearly lost his dribble a few times. Incredible athlete though. Skied for a bunch of rebounds. Defense was solid for both.
Brian Waddell - Painter says it's the best he's seen him look in a long time. Adrenaline might have overcome some of the injury concerns. He knocked down a jumper and had 3 assists. Could definitely be in the rotation this season.
Camden Heide - Given the probably going to redshirt treatment. Last off the bench. Didn't get a bunch of run with the starters. Had a nice offensive rebound but didn't make his presence felt in the game.
Mason Gillis and Ethan Morton - Lynch pins on defense. Just solid. Consistent. Neither was particularly spectacular but Coach Painter's gonna know what he's getting from them every night. Both missed a bunch of good looks.
Caleb Furst - A lot of hustle. His length is still a big advantage on the boards, but he didn't show much new. Wasn't a consistent threat on offense and got lost a couple times on defense. It seems a little bit like he's trying to figure out what his niche is at this level. Right now it seems like he's just pretty good at most things.
Passing - From the tip, this team passed the ball with quickness and intent. Multiple possessions where the ball made its way all the way around the perimeter passing up good looks to better looks to wide open looks. There's shooters and guys who move the ball everywhere and it's going to make up for a lack of individual scoring talent.
Rebounding - It's hard to take the rebounding edge too seriously against a team so small, but it's a team effort and they go for misses with intention on both sides of the balls from Braden Smith to Zach Edey. Chemistry and effort is really strong. A good first showing.
Depth - Our bench and overall depth is definitely our strength. This might scare some of you, but how Painter finds a rhythm with his rotation is gonna go a long way in surprising a lot of folks and challenging for the Big Ten. There's a clear #1 on the team and them a bunch of dudes capable of being a lights out #2 on the right night.
Trey Kaufman-Renn - Oh my. The redshirt freshman impressed. Coach Painter has talked about his ability to bully on the inside - he did it against Cincinnati and he did it again against Truman State. He's bigger than I thought he'd be and was a monster in the post and on the glass. He wants the offensive rebound. Very impressive. Not sure he's going to threaten Gillis's starting spot - Gillis didn't shoot the ball well today but he's still a bit of a better fit next to Edey. That said, Kaufman-Renn's first three was a catch, don't even think about it, and splash dagger from the wing.
David Jenkins Jr. - He's going to be hard to keep out of the starting lineup. Two plays in the game really stand out to me, one a made three, the other a missed lay up. The writer next to me asked if he reminded me of Terone Johnson and he's certainly a similarly stocky guard, but I was really impressed with his quickness. His missed lay up happened on an in and out move that absolutely froze his defender and gave him an open lane at the top of the key. The other play was just a simple pick and roll where the big went to set a screen and before the defender could even brace for impact, Jenkins was dropping one in the net. The offense entirely changed when Jenkins came into the game. Instead of motion, they went to a variety of pick and rolls up top. His threat to shoot is going to be a lot for teams scared of our bigs getting loose on the inside. Surprisingly when I asked Painter if he had seen this in the off season, he said no. That Jenkins had been trying to fit in. That just in the last couple weeks he was starting to be a little more assertive and get in better shape. Painter reiterated he wants Jenkins taking those shots. Purdue's offensive struggles this year will come and I was worried about them, but Jenkins as a dynamic pick and roll player was an answer that's looking better than I imagined. He was much more of an off ball player for Utah. Interesting to see how much he'll have the keys to run the offense.
Zach Edey - My favorite play in college basketball is Edey moving into the paint and to the rim before he's even caught the pass. He had a few plays where he's clearing space to the rim as the ball is coming to him. Edey looked as dominant as ever.
Brandon Newman - Newman looked really good. He mentioned it helped to have plays called for him and Painter got him an open two off a curl in his first offensive possession. He drained it. He was efficient and took what the defense gave him. Encouraging start to the season.
Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer - Neither got their jumper going. It didn't stop Loyer at all who had a bunch of good looks. They'll eventually fall. That jump shot is pure, but the reason I was so high on him is everything else. He had 6 assists and 0 turnovers. Knows how to play and gets the ball into the post. Smith on the other hand... didn't totally look ready. Struggled to create angles for himself to get into the lane and didn't look for his shot besides a pull up three in transition. Didn't make too many mistakes but definitely nearly lost his dribble a few times. Incredible athlete though. Skied for a bunch of rebounds. Defense was solid for both.
Brian Waddell - Painter says it's the best he's seen him look in a long time. Adrenaline might have overcome some of the injury concerns. He knocked down a jumper and had 3 assists. Could definitely be in the rotation this season.
Camden Heide - Given the probably going to redshirt treatment. Last off the bench. Didn't get a bunch of run with the starters. Had a nice offensive rebound but didn't make his presence felt in the game.
Mason Gillis and Ethan Morton - Lynch pins on defense. Just solid. Consistent. Neither was particularly spectacular but Coach Painter's gonna know what he's getting from them every night. Both missed a bunch of good looks.
Caleb Furst - A lot of hustle. His length is still a big advantage on the boards, but he didn't show much new. Wasn't a consistent threat on offense and got lost a couple times on defense. It seems a little bit like he's trying to figure out what his niche is at this level. Right now it seems like he's just pretty good at most things.
Passing - From the tip, this team passed the ball with quickness and intent. Multiple possessions where the ball made its way all the way around the perimeter passing up good looks to better looks to wide open looks. There's shooters and guys who move the ball everywhere and it's going to make up for a lack of individual scoring talent.
Rebounding - It's hard to take the rebounding edge too seriously against a team so small, but it's a team effort and they go for misses with intention on both sides of the balls from Braden Smith to Zach Edey. Chemistry and effort is really strong. A good first showing.
Depth - Our bench and overall depth is definitely our strength. This might scare some of you, but how Painter finds a rhythm with his rotation is gonna go a long way in surprising a lot of folks and challenging for the Big Ten. There's a clear #1 on the team and them a bunch of dudes capable of being a lights out #2 on the right night.
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