I was wrong about Smith. He’s solid. Going to be the best PG we’ve had in a while.
Let me have it fellas…
Let me have it fellas…
I’ll take my crow medium-rare.
- Thread starter bonefish1
- Start date
at least you were wrong the right way, he's a 4 yr guy too
I agree. Not the crow part, just the comment about smith. Going to be a great guard for us.
Bonefish, agree completely, he convinced me in the 1st half. Gonna be my fav player for the next 4 years, love him, his confidence, looking to set others up and his ball hawking on defense. A true point guard.
He is already making passes we haven’t seen in a long time. Great vision, skill and confidence.
I think he plays a little bigger than he is. Looks strong and jumps well.
It’s funny, he’s like everything people bitched about that we did t have in a Point guard…and then they incessantly bitched that he shouldn’t be a Boiler.
I knew Purdue fans would love him. I said others would hate him and they will. My son texted me and said Smith has a new steal record for a game already too.
This is the key thing for me. You don’t hold your breath as much when he brings the ball up the court like our guards last year. As others have said, he seems like a true point guard.And he can dribble
Great debut all-around.....ended up with 7, one off Ricky Hall's modern school record. Impressive indeed.
My only thoughts are many other freshmen have started for many other top 10 ten teams. So why not Purdue? We’ve had other freshmen start and do well before. So why not this year?
Smith adds something we haven't had in a couple of years...mental toughness.
Definitely appears to have some moxie - I don't mind it all if that's the case.
Smith is like a cross btw Chris Kramer and Carsen Edwards.
He tied Brian cardinal and Bruce Parkinson at 7 I believe. Not bad for his first game.
Last year...our PGs sometimes would back up off defensive pressure bringing the ball up court. Not Smith..he attacks and is deceptively quick with very good handles. He was very impressive for a true freshman in his first collegiate game.
Also...true freshman Loyer was impressive with the 3-ball.
Also...true freshman Loyer was impressive with the 3-ball.
Why act so smug about a player until you see them play?...you let prejudices cloud your mind....your knowledge of basketball is what other people tell you....stars and ratings are for selling subscriptions....
My defense of Braden has served me well. For those who undervalued the skill it takes to win MR. Basketball you seen it last night. Braden had to be great to beat Fletcher who was a star last night as well.
I don't know how anyone could watch 5 minutes of his films and not see a "real" player.
I was always "wait and see" on Smith as I am with most recruits. Totally digging what I see so far.
The more you reserve judgment the more you forget what crow even tastes like.
To me the concern was always about depth, inexperience, and quickness in the back court. This is regardless of how Smith turns out. Losing 2 experienced ball handlers the same season hurts. It just does. Hopefully Buster Jenkins can get out there soon and help bring the ball up when Smith is on the bench.
The more you reserve judgment the more you forget what crow even tastes like.
To me the concern was always about depth, inexperience, and quickness in the back court. This is regardless of how Smith turns out. Losing 2 experienced ball handlers the same season hurts. It just does. Hopefully Buster Jenkins can get out there soon and help bring the ball up when Smith is on the bench.
This is a forum to discuss opinions, make judgements, predictions, etc. Sometimes we're right, sometimes we're wrong. In this case, at least after the first game, I was wrong.
All in good fun, at times hopefully at least. Genuinely glad you liked the game and Braden Smith's play, Lenny. It's part of what can make these discussions and life interesting and sometimes unpredictable.....at times entertaining and a lot of fun but plenty of ups-and-downs along the way as an alum or fan or both.....
Plus as we age - there's a new perspective on taking oneself too seriously....at least for some. JMHO
All in good fun, at times hopefully at least. Genuinely glad you liked the game and Braden Smith's play, Lenny. It's part of what can make these discussions and life interesting and sometimes unpredictable.....at times entertaining and a lot of fun but plenty of ups-and-downs along the way as an alum or fan or both.....
Plus as we age - there's a new perspective on taking oneself too seriously....at least for some. JMHO
One concern I do have after just one game is whether he's going to hit the freshman wall in Jan/Feb.
He's going to need more help in the backcourt because if he's the primary ballhandler, teams are going to try and wear him down. He was tired in the 2nd half last night.
I do like his energy and loves the way he pushes the ball and attacks.
It will be interesting to see if Jenkins fills the void of the 2nd point guard. Smith has a bunch of energy and fitness, but nagging injuries happen during the year. We need a reliable option and I'm hoping Jenkins fits that role. Time will tell.
Tend to agree, Lenny. It's a good problem from some senses in that teams will have to pay attention to him, and that may open some other avenues, but they'll definitely try to bully him or wear him down. It will be interesting to see what WVU and Marquette try. Baptism by fire and there is the frosh wall as you say. And as Gem mentions, Jenkins didn't play last night but has to help out some.....30 minutes is a big load right off the bat. He will also learn to pace himself a little too, perhaps.
B. A. L. L. E. R.
Love this kid.
Love this kid.
More about other teams seeing enough film to grasp that the kid in question can actually play. And they stop leaving them open shots to help on other players. And/or get assigned an actual good defender if they are enough of a threat.
Those things take most freshman "out" of their game in the 2nd half of the season.
Much more factor than physical fatigue.
18,19 years old in very good cardiovascular condition? Tired tonight. Ready to go tomorrow.
He's a heady player, he'll learn to pace himself.
First game at Mackey, I'd be a little juiced too.
You weren't the only one. There were many critical of Purdue offering him at the time. He didn't have the metrics some are used to seeing. He got winded last night, but once he gets his legs under him or gets a couple more minutes of rest he will start hitting some more shots. The extra 10 feet and increased intensity on D takes a lot of legs off freshman later in the season...
he was tired towards the end of the first half as well. Yes, he put a LOT of offensive pressure on the D with his push, but the great things was...he saw what was there and didn't force anything.
Most players that get considered good defenders outside of rim protectors are off the ball...typically defending the 2 or 3. I saw no issue with the defender on Braden. He was very quick, which is pretty much mandatory in defending the 1. He was winded last night. I could see it and without a word mentioned to his dad and he verified it. The extra 10 feet and increased intensity is a step up from high school.
Scouting report is going to say...he drives the train and can go either way and score at all three levels...unselfish but can score as needed...rebounds and is solid in all phases. Leader with great vision and savvy. Put an outstanding on ball defender and a combo guard can bring it up if necessary since that defender is probably not as good on the ball and Purdue has enough people to find the mismatch if man D . Last night there was a possession or two of 1-2-1-1 and a 2-2-1...and not sure if I recall a !-2-2...mostly man pressure wich is rarely effective in turning you over if you have a good ball handler and zone offense require cerebral understandind and Purdue has a vew of those. Don't give up on Brian Waddell either as he works back into playing. He certainly has that ball out in fron of him when shooting...
It was obvious I think. Same thing with Ivey. You could tell they were insanely under ranked. You could tell Ivey, like Colvin, has elite athleticism, and you could tell Smith belongs on a high major court.
Yeah I don’t get it. How do 3 kids who grew up in a hotbed of HS hoops, 2 of whom had pro athlete parents, fly so far under the radar?
Dont question. Had they been higher profile they may not have signed with us!
Maybe it is Painter playing 4D chess behind the scenes and influencing the rankings to keep them off Duke's radar
I think sports writers get enamored with kids that drive the ball to the hoop and make layups. Why else would Nojel be so highly ranked? While it turned out his defense was what kept him on the court at Purdue, I can pretty much assume that the people who rank these kids don’t look at their defensive play or passing when ranking. They just look at the flashy plays that involve making baskets.
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