MILWAUKEE — Some final musings from Purdue's 65-55 loss at Marquette.
• Obviously Purdue has a long, long, long way to go here, especially offensively. Gonna be very interesting to see if these early struggles can be spun into positive down the line. That's how last season played out, but I think more and more last season is a bad comparison and a bad standard to hold this team, and all that come after it too. This is all just different. This is a new team. This isn't a new group fitting in around a signature star in Carsen Edwards and foundational element (three-point shooting).
• I think Purdue just needs more from Trevion Williams. He is one of its best players, clearly, and the productivity to this point hasn't reflected it. Not picking on him. The standard for him is different because he has shown he is really good.
I think the plus/minus is worth sharing but can be deceiving, and I think tonight was one of those nights, because Williams was a team-best plus-seven and Matt Haarms nearly a team-worst minus-17, but Purdue is so much different for the better defensively with the shot-blocker in there. I thought you'd be looking at a 60-40 minutes split at that position this season, but the defensive gap is wide, and if Williams is going to get fouled a bunch but struggle at the line, maybe this is working toward more a 75-25 kind of thing, and that wouldn't seem reasonable, because Williams is too good to play that little.
• Aaron Wheeler is a good player and is going to be a very good player, I'd say, but he's been hot and cold. After Gerald Liddell was the best forward on the floor for Texas last time out, Wheeler did some really good floor-game-type stuff at Marquette — post feeds, a big-time offensive rebound to set up an Isaiah Thompson three — but again, talent leaves you wanting more, as Painter always says. He's done a nice job on the glass this season, but people are going at him physically. Two games in a row now they've gone through him for and-ones off offensive boards during key stretches. That's part of what you sign up for when you roll with perimeter-oriented 4s, but also, this wasn't all going to happen for him overnight. He is only scratching the surface, but people seem to be viewing him as a pro now. They're getting way ahead of themselves.
• I know Matt Painter was hoping to see Nojel Eastern would finish around the basket at a higher rate this season. Thus far, not sure that's happening. They will hope that changes, because getting him established as a post threat seems to be a big part of what they want to do, and it should be. He just has to get the best position he can.
• Sasha Stefanovic made some really (seemingly) important hustle-type plays and that's going to matter long-term for this team if that becomes his thing. I'll rewatch the game tomorrow and see why he got bludgeoned in the plus/minus at -23.
• Good on Eric Hunter for the job he did on D. He was not a good defensive player when he got to Purdue. He's come a long, long way.
• Obviously Purdue has a long, long, long way to go here, especially offensively. Gonna be very interesting to see if these early struggles can be spun into positive down the line. That's how last season played out, but I think more and more last season is a bad comparison and a bad standard to hold this team, and all that come after it too. This is all just different. This is a new team. This isn't a new group fitting in around a signature star in Carsen Edwards and foundational element (three-point shooting).
• I think Purdue just needs more from Trevion Williams. He is one of its best players, clearly, and the productivity to this point hasn't reflected it. Not picking on him. The standard for him is different because he has shown he is really good.
I think the plus/minus is worth sharing but can be deceiving, and I think tonight was one of those nights, because Williams was a team-best plus-seven and Matt Haarms nearly a team-worst minus-17, but Purdue is so much different for the better defensively with the shot-blocker in there. I thought you'd be looking at a 60-40 minutes split at that position this season, but the defensive gap is wide, and if Williams is going to get fouled a bunch but struggle at the line, maybe this is working toward more a 75-25 kind of thing, and that wouldn't seem reasonable, because Williams is too good to play that little.
• Aaron Wheeler is a good player and is going to be a very good player, I'd say, but he's been hot and cold. After Gerald Liddell was the best forward on the floor for Texas last time out, Wheeler did some really good floor-game-type stuff at Marquette — post feeds, a big-time offensive rebound to set up an Isaiah Thompson three — but again, talent leaves you wanting more, as Painter always says. He's done a nice job on the glass this season, but people are going at him physically. Two games in a row now they've gone through him for and-ones off offensive boards during key stretches. That's part of what you sign up for when you roll with perimeter-oriented 4s, but also, this wasn't all going to happen for him overnight. He is only scratching the surface, but people seem to be viewing him as a pro now. They're getting way ahead of themselves.
• I know Matt Painter was hoping to see Nojel Eastern would finish around the basket at a higher rate this season. Thus far, not sure that's happening. They will hope that changes, because getting him established as a post threat seems to be a big part of what they want to do, and it should be. He just has to get the best position he can.
• Sasha Stefanovic made some really (seemingly) important hustle-type plays and that's going to matter long-term for this team if that becomes his thing. I'll rewatch the game tomorrow and see why he got bludgeoned in the plus/minus at -23.
• Good on Eric Hunter for the job he did on D. He was not a good defensive player when he got to Purdue. He's come a long, long way.
