Question: I understand that Carsen Edwards is a great player that plays with great energy, but is there any reason to be concerned that he will be asked to do too much next season? If so, what can the coaches do to make sure he is not “running on fumes” at the end of the season?
Answer: This is a great question, because obviously much will be asked of Edwards next season and, at least on paper right now, he will not have the support around him he had last season. He was an All-American last season playing with a group of seniors that could have carried the team on their own and often did, a group of seniors who'd have made for a really good team even without Edwards.
And when you consider how hard Edwards plays and the energy he plays with, there might be some powder kegs there for Purdue to be wary of. One would think he might have to be a 35-plus-minute player for Purdue this coming season. He played 36 or more only three times as a sophomore and averaged less than 30 for the whole season.
Here's a moment that might put a face on what we're talking about here: Against Ohio State in Mackey Arena, he went on that shooting blitz that basically had that game won for Purdue. But in the midst of it, he clearly wore down and when Purdue ran him off a down screen for a three from the top the arc, his legs looked shot, but he shot it anyway. The shot missed badly, Andrew Dakich caught it and advanced it to Musa Jallow for a three that began Ohio State's surge back. It was all downhill from there for the Boilermakers that night, which isn't to say they still wouldn't have won that game had a bunch of bizarre stuff not happened.
That being said, that Ohio State game was the first of five games in a row in which Edwards played 35 or more minutes. In the last of those games, he scored 40. So ...
Now, Edwards is going to have the ball in his hands all the time, whether he's Purdue's point guard or not. He's going to be asked to look for his offense at all times — he'll be Purdue's main scorer and facilitator — and often guard the 1, if I had to guess, at least at times. And Purdue's offense won't have as many of the stand-around possessions that fans loved so much without Isaac Haas. There will be more movement most likely this year if Purdue is going to gear things more to Edwards' skill set. That'll mean more ball screens, which will mean more activity for Edwards when he's involved in them.
Could be exhausting.
Not sure what the safeguards are there, other than for Purdue to manage things.
That might be easier said than done, because Edwards is the Boilermakers' foundation now and no one else on the roster can replicate what he does. So much remains to be seen regarding young players, but until they've shown their cards in terms of what they're capable of, you have to figure it's going to be difficult for Purdue to play at a winning level against good teams without Edwards on the floor.
Purdue may have to consider managing his minutes nonetheless, and that would be easier to do should Eric Hunter and Sasha Stefanovic, to name two, show they're ready to really help Purdue. Nojel Eastern and Ryan Cline are going to log big minutes, but Purdue's ability to ease off Edwards in games that matter may lie with the young guys.
I don't know if you'd call this a concern at this point, because Edwards is in great shape, I think, and will want those big minutes, and this year, the season will not have been so long without all that went on last summer, both for Edwards individually with USA Basketball and Purdue as a team with the World University Games.
But Purdue needs him at his best, obviously, so this might be a topic worth revisiting during the season.
I'm sure he'll be thrilled to be asked about it.
Answer: This is a great question, because obviously much will be asked of Edwards next season and, at least on paper right now, he will not have the support around him he had last season. He was an All-American last season playing with a group of seniors that could have carried the team on their own and often did, a group of seniors who'd have made for a really good team even without Edwards.
And when you consider how hard Edwards plays and the energy he plays with, there might be some powder kegs there for Purdue to be wary of. One would think he might have to be a 35-plus-minute player for Purdue this coming season. He played 36 or more only three times as a sophomore and averaged less than 30 for the whole season.
Here's a moment that might put a face on what we're talking about here: Against Ohio State in Mackey Arena, he went on that shooting blitz that basically had that game won for Purdue. But in the midst of it, he clearly wore down and when Purdue ran him off a down screen for a three from the top the arc, his legs looked shot, but he shot it anyway. The shot missed badly, Andrew Dakich caught it and advanced it to Musa Jallow for a three that began Ohio State's surge back. It was all downhill from there for the Boilermakers that night, which isn't to say they still wouldn't have won that game had a bunch of bizarre stuff not happened.
That being said, that Ohio State game was the first of five games in a row in which Edwards played 35 or more minutes. In the last of those games, he scored 40. So ...
Now, Edwards is going to have the ball in his hands all the time, whether he's Purdue's point guard or not. He's going to be asked to look for his offense at all times — he'll be Purdue's main scorer and facilitator — and often guard the 1, if I had to guess, at least at times. And Purdue's offense won't have as many of the stand-around possessions that fans loved so much without Isaac Haas. There will be more movement most likely this year if Purdue is going to gear things more to Edwards' skill set. That'll mean more ball screens, which will mean more activity for Edwards when he's involved in them.
Could be exhausting.
Not sure what the safeguards are there, other than for Purdue to manage things.
That might be easier said than done, because Edwards is the Boilermakers' foundation now and no one else on the roster can replicate what he does. So much remains to be seen regarding young players, but until they've shown their cards in terms of what they're capable of, you have to figure it's going to be difficult for Purdue to play at a winning level against good teams without Edwards on the floor.
Purdue may have to consider managing his minutes nonetheless, and that would be easier to do should Eric Hunter and Sasha Stefanovic, to name two, show they're ready to really help Purdue. Nojel Eastern and Ryan Cline are going to log big minutes, but Purdue's ability to ease off Edwards in games that matter may lie with the young guys.
I don't know if you'd call this a concern at this point, because Edwards is in great shape, I think, and will want those big minutes, and this year, the season will not have been so long without all that went on last summer, both for Edwards individually with USA Basketball and Purdue as a team with the World University Games.
But Purdue needs him at his best, obviously, so this might be a topic worth revisiting during the season.
I'm sure he'll be thrilled to be asked about it.
