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Who Plays and Who Sits?

Dec 2, 2014
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Last year CMP told us he made the mistake of extending the bench too far and he needed to narrow down on who was going to get the minutes. For most of the games after that he made it an 8 man rotation and switching out Scott and PJ based on matchup's. So my question is who will get minutes (more than 5 a game)?
PG: Hill, PJ, GW
SG: KS, DM, Cline
SF: Davis, BS(?)
PF: CS, Edwards, Taylor
C: Hammons, Haas

13 possible players listed. For the sake of this post lets cut it down to 8 players in the rotation and then 2 flex players for special situations/foul trouble.
Here are my 8
PG: Hill
SG: KS, DM
SF: Davis
PF: CS, Edwards
C: Hammons, Haas
Note: With this lineup DM would play both guard spots and Edwards would play both forward spots.
Flex: Cline, PJ
BS redshirt and Taylor will just have to wait for space next year when CS and/or Hammons leave for the NBA.
 
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I agree except if no CS then plug in Taylor to back up the 4 with Edwards and 5 if needed.

No Redshirts this year.....Smotherman is going to be needed at the 3 and 4 if no CS.

Only two who might not get big minutes this year will be Weatherford because of Hill now in the mix but I still think he gets minutes because we play in your face defense and Taylor if Biggie chooses Purdue. (If he doesn't Edwards and Taylor share the minutes 70/30)

I think this year it is all hands on deck again.....

With a deep team we get to play tough defense with little drop off......should be fun to watch.

Boiler Up!
 
CS has been to Purdue numerous times so he really doesn't need to visit again! He knows what Painter told him before so he shouldn't need to hear it again! If he and Barnes are set to attend our school in West Lafayette then sign the appropriate papers and get on board or move on! Having an old girlfriend who dumped you for another flirt with you again doesn't mean anything until you see the name on the dotted line! IMO
 
a guard redshirts. GW and/or Cline.
hmmm...I could see maybe those two fit a possibility, but I also see them possibly playing key roles with depth.

But yes both or one of them I could see to get stronger and learn the system.

Cline probably has the best chance with Mathias and Stephens ahead of him and I know Painter said he regretted not red shirting Ryan Smith, so I could see Cline being RS to save him and create space between Mathias and Stephens.

But heck I would like to see them all play...ha ha
 
PG: Hill, PJ
SG: DM, KS
SF: Davis, KS
PF: Edwards, Taylor
C: AJ, Haas

Ill change it with CS if he ever decides to come here, if not, we are still lethal.
 
PG: Hill, PJ
SG: DM, KS
SF: Davis, KS
PF: Edwards, Taylor
C: AJ, Haas

Ill change it with CS if he ever decides to come here, if not, we are still lethal.

I agree with this lineup and the idea that it can be revistited if Swanigan signs. GW and possibly Cline (think Smith and CMP's regret) redshirt. That's still a 9 man rotation and a solid group of players.
 
I know this is a good problem to have, but this concerns me a bit. I'm especially worried about Smotherman, since it seems like a less-talented Pg will cut into the minutes of a Basil or Taylor.

AJ, Haas, Davis, Vince, Dakota, Stephens, and (insert PG) will all likely play, and this isn't factoring in Swanigan. Someone is going to get squeezed, and I feel as if it may be Basil, but I hope it isn't.
 
Basil is electrifying to watch. His steals and breaks to the basket won a few games (IMO, by changing the tempo) last year and he didn't get many minutes.

He's also in every picture we see on Twitter where teammates are bonding. He's a boilermaker! And he's probably going to get a lot more minutes next year than people think.
 
I know this is a good problem to have, but this concerns me a bit. I'm especially worried about Smotherman, since it seems like a less-talented Pg will cut into the minutes of a Basil or Taylor.

AJ, Haas, Davis, Vince, Dakota, Stephens, and (insert PG) will all likely play, and this isn't factoring in Swanigan. Someone is going to get squeezed, and I feel as if it may be Basil, but I hope it isn't.

I think that Smotherman has to be in the rotation, even if he only plays 10-15 minutes a game. He's the best athlete in the team and will be an upperclassman. I think that he is figuring out how to be a spark off the bench, coming in with energy. I think that's an important role on a team like Purdue, which has a great combination of size, skills, effort, and cohesion, but not particularly great athleticism overall.
 
This is why Painter gets paid the mid-league level pay that he does. The good side is we are going to be deep but you have to have AJH, Biggie, Edwards and Davis on the floor to start.

Personally I think we have Dakota or Davis bring the ball up.
 
Most people responded to this with biggie out. So what are the thoughts now?
There will be a lot of competition for playing time, but I think that it will now be more important than ever to surround Hammons/Haas and Swanigan with shooters. As much as I look forward to seeing what Johnny Hill can do, I won't be surprised if Mathias starts at point guard along with Hammons, Swanigan, Edwards, and Davis. Stephens may not start, but he'll also play a huge role in spreading the court.
 
This is why Painter gets paid the mid-league level pay that he does. The good side is we are going to be deep but you have to have AJH, Biggie, Edwards and Davis on the floor to start.

Personally I think we have Dakota or Davis bring the ball up.
Yep. I think you have to start with Davis and AJH, Edwards is probably the most talented player we have right now until Biggie proves otherwise, so he's in. And Biggie is probably the highest ceiling player we have and a true power forward so he's in. The battle for the point spot is going to be interesting. And there will be some other minutes to go around. But you'll really get to see how unselfish/selfish people are going to be this year. And no offense to Bryson because I wish he would have stayed as I really liked him, but I think he was the only selfish player we had on the team last year for better or worse. Now... we just have to figure out the right balance and hope that players aren't too unselfish because someone is going to have to score the damn ball.

How pumped must that locker room be with the additions to the team next year. Especially getting the clear cut top two kids in the state.
 
Yep. I think you have to start with Davis and AJH, Edwards is probably the most talented player we have right now until Biggie proves otherwise, so he's in. And Biggie is probably the highest ceiling player we have and a true power forward so he's in. The battle for the point spot is going to be interesting. And there will be some other minutes to go around. But you'll really get to see how unselfish/selfish people are going to be this year. And no offense to Bryson because I wish he would have stayed as I really liked him, but I think he was the only selfish player we had on the team last year for better or worse. Now... we just have to figure out the right balance and hope that players aren't too unselfish because someone is going to have to score the damn ball.

How pumped must that locker room be with the additions to the team next year. Especially getting the clear cut top two kids in the state.
You know you bring up a good point, we went from being barren at PG to having a battle at that spot.
 
Give me this lineup with his commitment now:

PG: PJ/Hill
SG: Davis/Stephens/Mathias
SF: Edwards/Stephens
PF: Biggie/Smotherman/Edwards
C: AJ/Haas/Biggie

Taylor could take Basil's minutes but dont see it. Could see Cline stepping in and taking minutes from Kendall or Mathias if they dont improve a lot and if he is impressive, redshirt Weatherford and possibly Cline if he doesnt earn any minutes.
 
Best lineup is Mathias/Davis/Edwards/Swanigan/AJH. Davis, Edwards and Mathias all have the ability to bring the ball up the court. With shooters like Stephens and Cline (unless he is a RS, which is very possible) and bigs Haas and Taylor along with Hill and PJ at PG, this is a very deep team. Even our 12 and 13th player in Smotherman and Weatherford add something.
 
PG: Hill/PJ/Weatherford
SG: Davis/Stephens/Mathias/Cline
SF: Edwards/Davis/Smotherman/Stephens
PF: Biggie/Taylor/Edwards/Smotherman
C: AJ/Haas/Biggie/Taylor

This is how i see it in my head for some reason. But of coures you could have Mathias spend some time at the 1. Davis at the 3. all sorts of things, we'll have a big package, and a small package... really really flexible team. Crazy to think about how well getting Swanigan changes the lineup to really solidify options.

You may be thinking things like wait.... You have Taylor ahead of Edwards at the 4... well they way I'm thinking about it is that Edwards will start at the 3 so he can't really be the backup at the 4 if he's at the 3. Davis... I don't think he leaves the court unless he's forced to next year. I hope he gets 35 minutes. I know he's not the top scorer, or the best athlete, or the best a lot of things, but he's the best defender, best leader, most experienced, and hardest working player we have and when he's on the court the rest of them just seem to play better.
 
Best lineup is Mathias/Davis/Edwards/Swanigan/AJH. Davis, Edwards and Mathias all have the ability to bring the ball up the court. With shooters like Stephens and Cline (unless he is a RS, which is very possible) and bigs Haas and Taylor along with Hill and PJ at PG, this is a very deep team. Even our 12 and 13th player in Smotherman and Weatherford add something.
I would like to see if Mathias can develop the point guard role, but until I have more of a sample size from him, I'm not really counting on minutes form him there. He has the IQ to do it, and some experience in high school but that was different because of how much he was relied on to score. Cline on the other hand I think you may be right as everyone has been suggestion and he's already talked about a bit, may need a redshirt. Not just so much as he needs to get better, but he may not be able to get enough minutes. It may such for him to miss what could be a huge year, but it may end up being the best for him and the team in the long run. He needs to get the B1G body. I think he can play now, and play well, but it would be a very specific shooting role in limited minutes. Unless he just comes out and blows the doors off the place?
 
Last year CMP told us he made the mistake of extending the bench too far and he needed to narrow down on who was going to get the minutes. For most of the games after that he made it an 8 man rotation and switching out Scott and PJ based on matchup's. So my question is who will get minutes (more than 5 a game)?
PG: Hill, PJ, GW
SG: KS, DM, Cline
SF: Davis, BS(?)
PF: CS, Edwards, Taylor
C: Hammons, Haas

13 possible players listed. For the sake of this post lets cut it down to 8 players in the rotation and then 2 flex players for special situations/foul trouble.
Here are my 8
PG: Hill
SG: KS, DM
SF: Davis
PF: CS, Edwards
C: Hammons, Haas
Note: With this lineup DM would play both guard spots and Edwards would play both forward spots.
Flex: Cline, PJ
BS redshirt and Taylor will just have to wait for space next year when CS and/or Hammons leave for the NBA.


1. Hill/Mathias
2. Davis/Stephens
3. Edwards/Smotherman
4. Swanigan/Taylor
5. Hammons/Haas

... & Purdue wins the B1G regular season & tournament title. Painter had a GREAT strategy, Hammons gets a foul, in comes Haas. Haas gets a foul, Hammons replaces him, fantastic!!! Did either Hammons or Haas foul out of a game last season, when that tactic was employed? Don't think so.



Go Boilers!!!
 
1. Hill/Mathias
2. Davis/Stephens
3. Edwards/Smotherman
4. Swanigan/Taylor
5. Hammons/Haas

... & Purdue wins the B1G regular season & tournament title. Painter had a GREAT strategy, Hammons gets a foul, in comes Haas. Haas gets a foul, Hammons replaces him, fantastic!!! Did either Hammons or Haas foul out of a game last season, when that tactic was employed? Don't think so.



Go Boilers!!!
I thought there were times Haas got in to foul trouble towards the end of the season? Yeah it wasn't a foul out but might as well of been since he was on the bench.
 
I am seeing a few people saying that Vince Edwards is going to be starting at the 3. I do not think there is any chance of this happening, at least not this season. Raphael Davis- the reigning Big Ten DPOY- will start... But doesn't anyone in here seriously think that Hill, Davis and Edwards will ALL start? As good as that might look at first... One of our 3-point shooters WILL be in the starting line-up I can assure you. It's too important for spacing not to have one of them in at all times... Let alone that it's be near impossible to find minutes for Mathias, Stephens and Cline if all 3 are coming off of the bench.

Additionally, Mathias will not be playing any Point Guard. He doesn't come close to having good enough ball handling skills for that. I'm not saying that he won't be a big part of bringing the ball and and setting up the offense, but there will always be a PG on the floor (Hill or Thompson) at the same time. If he was the actual PG on the floor with a group... Let's say Davis, Edwards, Swanigan and Hammons... I do not see how we would ever consistently break pressure. It would be turnover city.

That said here is my guess at this years rotation

Hill/Thompson/Weatherford
Mathias/Stephens/Cline
Davis/Smotherman
Swanigan/Edwards/Taylor
Hammons/Haas
 
I am seeing a few people saying that Vince Edwards is going to be starting at the 3. I do not think there is any chance of this happening, at least not this season. Raphael Davis- the reigning Big Ten DPOY- will start... But doesn't anyone in here seriously think that Hill, Davis and Edwards will ALL start? As good as that might look at first... One of our 3-point shooters WILL be in the starting line-up I can assure you. It's too important for spacing not to have one of them in at all times... Let alone that it's be near impossible to find minutes for Mathias, Stephens and Cline if all 3 are coming off of the bench.

Additionally, Mathias will not be playing any Point Guard. He doesn't come close to having good enough ball handling skills for that. I'm not saying that he won't be a big part of bringing the ball and and setting up the offense, but there will always be a PG on the floor (Hill or Thompson) at the same time. If he was the actual PG on the floor with a group... Let's say Davis, Edwards, Swanigan and Hammons... I do not see how we would ever consistently break pressure. It would be turnover city.

That said here is my guess at this years rotation

Hill/Thompson/Weatherford
Mathias/Stephens/Cline
Davis/Smotherman
Swanigan/Edwards/Taylor
Hammons/Haas
I think that Edwards natural position is at the 3 which is why some are saying that is where he will move to. The beauty of it all is that Painter can change his lineups based on match ups and should be successful.
 
I think that Edwards natural position is at the 3 which is why some are saying that is where he will move to. The beauty of it all is that Painter can change his lineups based on match ups and should be successful.

Agreed. He could technically back up at the 3 or the 4, but it will be a back-up role for this season. It's going to be Davis at the 3 and Mathias/Stephens at the 2... At least to start the season.

Now the year after when Davis is gone... Then I'd expect Vince to start at the 3

2016-17

Freshman PG/Thompson/Weatherford
Mathias/Stephens/Cline
Edwards/Smotherman
Swanigan/Taylor
Haas/ Freshman C
 
I am seeing a few people saying that Vince Edwards is going to be starting at the 3. I do not think there is any chance of this happening, at least not this season. Raphael Davis- the reigning Big Ten DPOY- will start... But doesn't anyone in here seriously think that Hill, Davis and Edwards will ALL start? As good as that might look at first... One of our 3-point shooters WILL be in the starting line-up I can assure you. It's too important for spacing not to have one of them in at all times... Let alone that it's be near impossible to find minutes for Mathias, Stephens and Cline if all 3 are coming off of the bench.

Additionally, Mathias will not be playing any Point Guard. He doesn't come close to having good enough ball handling skills for that. I'm not saying that he won't be a big part of bringing the ball and and setting up the offense, but there will always be a PG on the floor (Hill or Thompson) at the same time. If he was the actual PG on the floor with a group... Let's say Davis, Edwards, Swanigan and Hammons... I do not see how we would ever consistently break pressure. It would be turnover city.

That said here is my guess at this years rotation

Hill/Thompson/Weatherford
Mathias/Stephens/Cline
Davis/Smotherman
Swanigan/Edwards/Taylor
Hammons/Haas




If you want to maximize the talent, & still start Edwards, he's potentially most effective [with/in time] at the 3 position. With Davis at the 2 spot, that frees up Edwards to play his natural 3 spot position. Your line up is a logical one, possibly to start the pre season. Either Stephens or Mathias can naturally play the 2 spot, however, if Davis can play the 2 spot, that frees up Edwards [a natural 3] to start at the 3 spot. If Hill can start at point, Mathias could [with a little ball handling work] back up Hill [at point], & Davis at the 2 spot. Fortunately, Mathias is a flexible/adaptabe player. Regardless, it's all up to Coach Painter. He now has such options, he couldn't dream of a month ago.



Go Boilers!!!
 
So is everyone still in favor of shortening the bench? Honestly, I can see why it has been proposed, but damn you got to love a deep, deep team........I know I do! CMP will have his hands full.
 
If you want to maximize the talent, & still start Edwards, he's potentially most effective [with/in time] at the 3 position. With Davis at the 2 spot, that frees up Edwards to play his natural 3 spot position. Your line up is a logical one, possibly to start the pre season. Either Stephens or Mathias can naturally play the 2 spot, however, if Davis can play the 2 spot, that frees up Edwards [a natural 3] to start at the 3 spot. If Hill can start at point, Mathias could [with a little ball handling work] back up Hill [at point], & Davis at the 2 spot. Fortunately, Mathias is a flexible/adaptabe player. Regardless, it's all up to Coach Painter. He now has such options, he couldn't dream of a month ago

I just can't see that line-up starting. You need more shooting. Davis is not a floor spacer and neither is Vince. One of our shooters WILL need to start. You don't necessarily need your most talented 5 players to all be in the starting line-up. We will start the line-up that has better natural offensive chemistry. Vince Edwards will be the super 6th-man


Go Boilers!!!
 
I say we implement the "platoon system" for 2015-16;

Platoon #1
Jumpin' Johnny
Dakota
Ray
Biggie aka "The Big Swan"
AJH

#2
PJ
Kendall
VE
Jacq-Tay
Haas

Basil, Cline, Weatherford filling in as needed (maybe an RS in there somewhere)

BOOM BABY!
 
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1 Hill & Thompson
2&3 Some combination of Stephens, Mathias, Davis, and Edwards
4 Swanigan and Edwards
5 Hammons and Haas

At some point a starting five will work itself out. 9 man rotation, and that doesn't even include Smotherman. I could see Davis becoming a much better three point shooter this season and starting at the 2 with Edwards at the 3. I think it's more important to have Mathias and/or Stephens in with Haas to space out the offense anyways.
 
The competition in practice is gonna be fierce. Everyone, from 3 star status to 5 star status, had better bring it or get used to some splinters in the behind.
 
1 Hill & Thompson
2&3 Some combination of Stephens, Mathias, Davis, and Edwards
4 Swanigan and Edwards
5 Hammons and Haas

At some point a starting five will work itself out. 9 man rotation, and that doesn't even include Smotherman. I could see Davis becoming a much better three point shooter this season and starting at the 2 with Edwards at the 3. I think it's more important to have Mathias and/or Stephens in with Haas to space out the offense anyways.

You really don't think Taylor has a chance do you? Not that you couldn't be right, just surprised to see some posters brush JT off like that. Guess I'm just a fan of the kid, and hope it works out for him.
 
I just hope a definite rotation is in place prior to the conference season. In other words, I don't want to still be experimenting with lineups by that time. With this many capable guys a few need to step up and take jobs from the beginning. And then there will still be a dogfight for sub minutes. And I agree with the redshirt comments already mentioned. Impressive roster for sure.
 
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You really don't think Taylor has a chance do you? Not that you couldn't be right, just surprised to see some posters brush JT off like that. Guess I'm just a fan of the kid, and hope it works out for him.


I think most people want to see JT produce on a consistent basis before moving him ahead of others who have already done so.

Not saying he isn't able to do it, as he showed flashes last year before the 'shirt, but he needs to produce on the court.

Love the kids attitude though.
 
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