I am much less disappointed in this loss than I thought I'd be. Like most realistic people that watched Purdue this year, I did not pick them to go far in the Tourney. This team had loads of potential, but it simply never came together and at no point from the start of the Big Ten Season did I ever think this was a "Great" team. Sweet Sixteen is the rightful conclusion of this team and Season. Now the question is, how do we go further?
Lineup Strategy - In my opinion, Painter absolutely has to build a lineup every year that can defend and attack small ball. It may be a lineup that gets used once every five games and for only short stretches, but it is a very important lineup to have in place. If he wants to keep having giant Centers that he works the ball through, I am fine with that strategy. It wears down opponents and can win Big Ten Championships. However there are 10-20 minute stretches in the Tournament where you have to adapt to the game and the answer is not to simply exchange one ineffective and immobile 5 man with another.
Point Guard - If Purdue is going to play a predominantly inside out offense, we need a big/physical point guard with a calming influence on the game (i.e. Keaton Grant, Tony Jones). This year's point guards made me nervous nearly every possession and I think that sets the tone. Defensively, if we aren't hounding the other teams point guard full court like Painter used to do, why recruit small fast guys to play the 1? If the Point guards job is to play good half court defense and get the ball to the post, Morton should have been playing a lot more at the 1 this year and should be starting next year. Based on recruiting (Braden Smith and DGL), it seems like Painter may want to move back to the full court hounding defensive strategy. Painter either needs faster bigs that can push the pace and hang with faster PG's or he needs bigger and more consistent ball control Point guards.
Furst - I will be shocked if he returns. For his sake, I am really hoping that William Berg is not very good and Furst is content playing 15-20 minutes as Edey's backup. He is probably a starting 5 on just about any team he'd want to play for next year. His skill set makes him the ideal 5 for any team other than Purdue. Painter will obviously never play him next to Edey or berg and Gillis is too good to not play 30 minutes anyway. My hope is that Painter promises him the backup 5 no matter how good Berg is just to keep him here, but if Painter is truly going to let Furst/Berg compete for the backup 5, I don't see how it's in his interest to stay.
Newman - If he is smart, he will stick around and work on his mid-range game and defense. The sky is the limit for him and the opportunity is there for him to play major minutes next year. No reason he can't accomplish everything he wants to at Purdue.
Edey Strategy - Painter really needs to better train his wing players when and when not to pass to Edey. If Edey has good position 5 feet from the basket and in, you give them the ball every single time. If he gets pushed 15 feet out from the basket, you have to keep moving the ball around the perimeter. The offense should not be "feed it to Edey" every single play" It should be "feed it to Edey when he is in a high % position" only. Part of this goes back to having scared Point Guards who just want to get the ball out of their hands as fast as possible.
As always, I am excited to see how next year's roster and strategy come together. I think we're now clearly at the point as a Program where we will go as far as Painter's coaching will take us. Many of his former teams lineups and strategy were dictated by his personnel limitations. That is no longer the case and he now has this program in a place where he can play any style of offense or defense he wants without limitation. I think he is finding that, counter-intuitively, it's a lot easier to coach a one-dimensional team than a deep and dynamic team with seemingly endless options.
Lineup Strategy - In my opinion, Painter absolutely has to build a lineup every year that can defend and attack small ball. It may be a lineup that gets used once every five games and for only short stretches, but it is a very important lineup to have in place. If he wants to keep having giant Centers that he works the ball through, I am fine with that strategy. It wears down opponents and can win Big Ten Championships. However there are 10-20 minute stretches in the Tournament where you have to adapt to the game and the answer is not to simply exchange one ineffective and immobile 5 man with another.
Point Guard - If Purdue is going to play a predominantly inside out offense, we need a big/physical point guard with a calming influence on the game (i.e. Keaton Grant, Tony Jones). This year's point guards made me nervous nearly every possession and I think that sets the tone. Defensively, if we aren't hounding the other teams point guard full court like Painter used to do, why recruit small fast guys to play the 1? If the Point guards job is to play good half court defense and get the ball to the post, Morton should have been playing a lot more at the 1 this year and should be starting next year. Based on recruiting (Braden Smith and DGL), it seems like Painter may want to move back to the full court hounding defensive strategy. Painter either needs faster bigs that can push the pace and hang with faster PG's or he needs bigger and more consistent ball control Point guards.
Furst - I will be shocked if he returns. For his sake, I am really hoping that William Berg is not very good and Furst is content playing 15-20 minutes as Edey's backup. He is probably a starting 5 on just about any team he'd want to play for next year. His skill set makes him the ideal 5 for any team other than Purdue. Painter will obviously never play him next to Edey or berg and Gillis is too good to not play 30 minutes anyway. My hope is that Painter promises him the backup 5 no matter how good Berg is just to keep him here, but if Painter is truly going to let Furst/Berg compete for the backup 5, I don't see how it's in his interest to stay.
Newman - If he is smart, he will stick around and work on his mid-range game and defense. The sky is the limit for him and the opportunity is there for him to play major minutes next year. No reason he can't accomplish everything he wants to at Purdue.
Edey Strategy - Painter really needs to better train his wing players when and when not to pass to Edey. If Edey has good position 5 feet from the basket and in, you give them the ball every single time. If he gets pushed 15 feet out from the basket, you have to keep moving the ball around the perimeter. The offense should not be "feed it to Edey" every single play" It should be "feed it to Edey when he is in a high % position" only. Part of this goes back to having scared Point Guards who just want to get the ball out of their hands as fast as possible.
As always, I am excited to see how next year's roster and strategy come together. I think we're now clearly at the point as a Program where we will go as far as Painter's coaching will take us. Many of his former teams lineups and strategy were dictated by his personnel limitations. That is no longer the case and he now has this program in a place where he can play any style of offense or defense he wants without limitation. I think he is finding that, counter-intuitively, it's a lot easier to coach a one-dimensional team than a deep and dynamic team with seemingly endless options.
