Braden says he's good to go and Painter will play him but monitor his ability.
- Thread starter Abugabby
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Agree, there's no way he's 100%. Question is whether he's at risk to further injure, my assumption is that if he were they'd hold him out.
Agree. I thought he played OK today and obviously tough as hell just to be out there, but in my opinion, he didn’t look like himself. Not nearly as explosive. I suspect he’ll look better by next Friday and if this team can make it through next weekend hopefully he’s close to 100% by the sweet 16
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Hard for me to say it but by any objective measure he was the second-best point guard on the floor yesterday. Not saying Hepburn is the better player but yesterday he was.
Leg injuries cost quickness. He couldn't get away from Hepburn nor stop him. Step slow.
I know a lot of Purdue followers and other conference school fans don't like Hepburn, but he can play.....think he's sacrificed a little offense with Storr coming in. Wisconsin is one of those teams that I could see getting upset or making the second weekend. If they make some shots, they'll be a tough out....he was definitely the biggest individual difference yesterday, to me.
Did he get away with some stuff? Probably.....but that's part of the game. Boilers have to handle that stuff a little better, IMO - got to them some yesterday - it's competitive sports - and all part of the mental fortitude one needs at that level.
Braden Smith and Edey should be fully good to go - that's priority one, so good for getting out of Minneapolis without too much damage.
Only if sitting out is better than not. I do not know that to be true or not. I do know Braden being less than 100% can still be the player needed to play. What percent of Braden is still better than the options? Matt and the trainer will do what is best for Braden first and the team second. Even if no worries of further harm, it may be possible that he is not 100% for a while? As I wrote elsewhere he played 16 months with a stress fracture in his foot in high school. It is easy to see how valuable he is to this team when healthy.
One slight piece missing for Purdue is a true backup point guard. Jones is ok, but someone off the bench who is fresh and can run the offense would help. Ours would be Morton, and that’s a stretch.
I doubt that playing competitive basketball can ever be good for a leg injury. When I have been in PT for a leg injury, they got me back to exercising right away but stressed “no impact!”
There is a greater chance of injury if you are already injured. It is possible Braden’s calf injury was in part caused by his already having an ankle injury.
Let’s hope his injuries are the type a physical therapist can do miracles with.
I was in PT with a knee injury. After about a 20-minute evaluation, the therapist said the first thing was to restore my range of motion. Which she did in about 15 minutes. It was amazing.
I think it is obvious how important Braden's play is as you state. Purdue has what it has. It has weaknesses as does every team. Braden sees every square inch of the court and is directly responsible many times for good shots. Lance gives that other ball handler, but can't control a game the same way. Lance helps against a press and typically brings good D, but an elite or very good PG is not he. Purdue can win games with Lance at PG, but the variety of scoring will be either Lance on his own or inside the offensive structure and its limitations
I don't believe he had a quick twitch muscle torn and I know what one in each leg did to me. He is in incredible shape and so you hope the athlete he is handles it better than most of us would
The other good thing about yesterday if you're a glass half full guy or gal is that regardless of result, Braden Smith got a game under his belt post-injury.....so he knows how his lower body reacted.....range of motion/burst like you hint at.....and he can trust it more IN A GAME SCENARIO.....that first game back doesn't have to be the first round NCAA game. He is the single biggest key (certainly not the only one) to Purdue's fortunes, starting next week, IMO. I would think some opponents take that position too, although they always know they have to deal with Zach Edey as well.
I agree. With the emergence of sports medicine the past few decades, PT has come a long way. Can't know for sure, but based on the video and the very brief verbal description provided, I assume he hyperextended his knee, causing strain to the upper calf muscle/tendon. It can take a while to fully heal, but if they can keep the swelling down and keep it flexible, he should be good to go. Maybe not 100% Braden, but 90% Braden is better than all but a handful of PGs. The rest of the team must know they will have to step up.
Agree. IMO Chucky is a hack but he outplayed Braden yesterday. As others pointed out, I don’t think he has the athleticism to do that if Braden is healthy.
Braden played yesterday and not too bad, he did have 10 assists, but it was not 100% Braden. He did not have his normal burst and quickness. I think his rebounding and defense suffered because of it. It also caused the pushoff he made on their guard and end of game to compensate for his lack of juice. I attribute all that to the injury. Braden is a warrior and wanted to compete and be out there for his team, but he was not near 100%. I said yesterday it would be better to rest him for the bigger prize, but understand that is a tough decision. I am very worried this is something that may not be better by Friday. We could not win yesterday without him(which I did not care about, though am sure the players did), and we can not go very far in the tourney without him at full strength.
Hoping I am wrong and he can get right in next 5 days or near right.
Hoping I am wrong and he can get right in next 5 days or near right.
Agree that even in a limited state Braden is valuable to this team. My concern is that if Braden and Zach are less than 95% two weeks from now I don’t see this team making it past the second weekend.
You hope it’s something that gets incrementally better over the next ten days. This team is good enough to get through next weekend if they don’t have the type of lazy pass turnovers they had against Wisconsin, even with Braden as he was yesterday. Not sure about beyond that.
I'll add that in the MSU game towards the end...he got pushed and caused a travel. It may not be better by Friday, but win that and the next game and you hope he is 100% the next week. Wisconsin put more pressure on him than usual sensing he wasn't 100% and Hepburn bodied him up more for more of the court
I see nothing in Zach that tells me he is moving different as a result of his ankle. I'm more concerned he has his head focused. Braden, I did see problems due to his injury
Purely IMO with the recognition that I'm wrong all the time, there have been a number of plays the last few games that in real time I thought Zach would have dunked or come up with the block if healthy. I don't think he has quite the lift that he normally would. Agree that he's playing well regardless and that Braden's injury is having a significantly greater impact.
Could be, but I don't see any difference in his running or moving through the lane. Purdue needs a well focused Zach on catching the ball, passing the ball, getting deep and and hitting his Fts. I do not like his stare downs because I believe the following: I prefer a choir boy on offense that nothing gets to him. He reads and reacts, but nothing upsets him. Foul him...shove him...he just plays on, totally focused on what he is doing and needs to do.
Then I want him to mentally flip not in his actions, but in his mindset. On D I want an a$$hole. I want a kid that looks at who he is defending and believes he has to break every bone in your body to score...a player that knows where you want to go and beats you there and playing and is into your body on cuts, but not enough for a foul. On O I want a player to react to the situation and on D I want to cause the situation I want. Naturally, that flip requires discipline and focus and not sure Zach is 100% focused at this time...even if he is still playing great. Taking yourself out of the game and placing a team at an unneeded disadvantage was not a smart or focused Zach and Purdue needs Zach for all of the game he is not subbed for due to needing rest.
I wrote before and wish Zach was more impactful in is one man zone WHEN a shooter stops just inside the FT line. He did a great job on Wahl yesterday, but Hepburn had a field day in his mid range game. Shooting 9/12 Hepburn was on fire stopping short of Zach. I really think Zach can contest better and still not jump high so he can move his feet.
Agree, it drives me crazy , especially late in games when he has few fouls. Yesterday he ended with two. No block necessary, but a closer contest can lead to a short shot. And no, it’s not likely to be a pass, he is in the shooting motion.
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