Question: With CMP bringing in a true point guard, how will this affect both the transition offense and the half court offense?
Answer: Well, that depends on your definition of "true point guard."
If your definition of "true point guard" is a player who is an excellent passer and decision-maker and orchestrator of offense who exists to complement others, Ethan Morton is likely going to prove to be that. If your definition, though, of "true point guard" is something more like that player who is going to beat people with quickness, drive, facilitate, push the ball in transition, break defenses down off the dribble and put ultimate pressure on the ball full-court defensively, then I don't know if that's the sort of player Morton will be. So that's the first point to make here, no pun intended.
Morton is a big guard who I think can play a couple different positions. I think he'll primarily be a point guard but I think he's a guy you could move around if you ever want to load up your lineup with passers and decision-makers, a nice luxury to have for a program that puts a premium on decision-making. You might find more compatible defensive matchups away from the ball, at times, too, where Morton's size and length and smarts may exceed his quickness. May be one of those deals where Purdue flip-flopped Nojel Eastern's size and Carsen Edwards' quickness in their defensive matchups in past years. We'll see, though. Obviously, Morton hasn't played a game yet.
What I see him as at this point, though, is more of a Dakota Mathias than a Lewis Jackson — the purest, and arguably only, "true point guard" (again depending on your definition) Matt Painter's had at Purdue — and that's fine, because Purdue's typical offensive M.O. doesn't really centralize playmaking responsibility with any one player, as evidenced by the litany of combo-type guards Purdue's won with over the years (and I'd put P.J. Thompson in that category despite his typical point guard dimensions) and the fact that for two seasons, Purdue started Nojel Eastern at point guard, then often used him more as a forward on offense.
That's why decision-making is so important to Purdue, because motion offense requires most positions on the floor to do it.
That's where the Morton-Mathias comp comes back into play. Purdue's probably not going to be that typical NBA sort of high-ball-screen, get-the-point-guard downhill sort of offense or '90s UNLV from a pace perspective, not like what it could sometimes be when it had Carsen Edwards and put the ball in his hands so much, or a Lewis Jackson or Ronnie Johnson (not that that went well) at point guard. It's gonna be halfcourt-driven offense and that's where Morton could be a transformative sort of player for Purdue immediately. Mathias — despite being so often ill, hurt, out of shape or whatever it may have been during his difficult freshman year — was just that when he was a freshman. His passing really changed things for Purdue, even if it was just him coming off the bench.
And the relevance here is that that's exactly what Purdue needs right now again. By recent standards, Purdue was not a great passing or decision-making team last season. I think addition by subtraction occurs in that area because decision-making wasn't Eastern's strength and Jahaad Proctor's acclimation to the offense and being a piece and not a centerpiece wasn't easy. But I think Morton might be immediate lubricant for Purdue's offensive gears right away, just as Mathias was. I also think cognitively, he's up to it, competitively he's up to it, and I think Painter will give him every chance, because I don't know if many freshmen have walked in that door over the years better equipped to play for him.
In terms of open-floor stuff, I think Morton's awareness is a big deal. From what I've seen, he may not be that guy who dribbles past or through everyone end to end but may through it over them. He's an excellent outlet passer, has a knack for knowing the lay of the land, and will always have his eyes up. Being 6-foot-4 or whatever he is can't hurt either. I also think Morton will be a very good decision-maker when Purdue has numbers in transition which is so important, especially if Purdue is more consistent from three-point range this season.
But if you're hoping Morton will be that one-man fast break, I don't know if that's gonna be the case. As for Jaden Ivey, he might be the guy to watch there.
I should add here too that Morton will play a lot this season, I'm quite certain, but Eric Hunter is going to be the starter at that point on Day 1 of practice and he should be one of Purdue's best players. Don't write him off, either, as a really important player. You don't necessarily have to start though to be an impact player. Again, that Mathias 2014 comparison.
Answer: Well, that depends on your definition of "true point guard."
If your definition of "true point guard" is a player who is an excellent passer and decision-maker and orchestrator of offense who exists to complement others, Ethan Morton is likely going to prove to be that. If your definition, though, of "true point guard" is something more like that player who is going to beat people with quickness, drive, facilitate, push the ball in transition, break defenses down off the dribble and put ultimate pressure on the ball full-court defensively, then I don't know if that's the sort of player Morton will be. So that's the first point to make here, no pun intended.
Morton is a big guard who I think can play a couple different positions. I think he'll primarily be a point guard but I think he's a guy you could move around if you ever want to load up your lineup with passers and decision-makers, a nice luxury to have for a program that puts a premium on decision-making. You might find more compatible defensive matchups away from the ball, at times, too, where Morton's size and length and smarts may exceed his quickness. May be one of those deals where Purdue flip-flopped Nojel Eastern's size and Carsen Edwards' quickness in their defensive matchups in past years. We'll see, though. Obviously, Morton hasn't played a game yet.
What I see him as at this point, though, is more of a Dakota Mathias than a Lewis Jackson — the purest, and arguably only, "true point guard" (again depending on your definition) Matt Painter's had at Purdue — and that's fine, because Purdue's typical offensive M.O. doesn't really centralize playmaking responsibility with any one player, as evidenced by the litany of combo-type guards Purdue's won with over the years (and I'd put P.J. Thompson in that category despite his typical point guard dimensions) and the fact that for two seasons, Purdue started Nojel Eastern at point guard, then often used him more as a forward on offense.
That's why decision-making is so important to Purdue, because motion offense requires most positions on the floor to do it.
That's where the Morton-Mathias comp comes back into play. Purdue's probably not going to be that typical NBA sort of high-ball-screen, get-the-point-guard downhill sort of offense or '90s UNLV from a pace perspective, not like what it could sometimes be when it had Carsen Edwards and put the ball in his hands so much, or a Lewis Jackson or Ronnie Johnson (not that that went well) at point guard. It's gonna be halfcourt-driven offense and that's where Morton could be a transformative sort of player for Purdue immediately. Mathias — despite being so often ill, hurt, out of shape or whatever it may have been during his difficult freshman year — was just that when he was a freshman. His passing really changed things for Purdue, even if it was just him coming off the bench.
And the relevance here is that that's exactly what Purdue needs right now again. By recent standards, Purdue was not a great passing or decision-making team last season. I think addition by subtraction occurs in that area because decision-making wasn't Eastern's strength and Jahaad Proctor's acclimation to the offense and being a piece and not a centerpiece wasn't easy. But I think Morton might be immediate lubricant for Purdue's offensive gears right away, just as Mathias was. I also think cognitively, he's up to it, competitively he's up to it, and I think Painter will give him every chance, because I don't know if many freshmen have walked in that door over the years better equipped to play for him.
In terms of open-floor stuff, I think Morton's awareness is a big deal. From what I've seen, he may not be that guy who dribbles past or through everyone end to end but may through it over them. He's an excellent outlet passer, has a knack for knowing the lay of the land, and will always have his eyes up. Being 6-foot-4 or whatever he is can't hurt either. I also think Morton will be a very good decision-maker when Purdue has numbers in transition which is so important, especially if Purdue is more consistent from three-point range this season.
But if you're hoping Morton will be that one-man fast break, I don't know if that's gonna be the case. As for Jaden Ivey, he might be the guy to watch there.
I should add here too that Morton will play a lot this season, I'm quite certain, but Eric Hunter is going to be the starter at that point on Day 1 of practice and he should be one of Purdue's best players. Don't write him off, either, as a really important player. You don't necessarily have to start though to be an impact player. Again, that Mathias 2014 comparison.
