Matt Painter spoke with media today in advance of Purdue's game at Minnesota Saturday. Here are some highlights:
Asked about Davis' defense, Painter kind of went another way and, surprisingly, started talking about offense, something he rarely seems to do. "For me, I haven't wanted to take him out of the game. Any time you can play the whole game, it helps you. You get more opportunities. You get more into a flow. His defense has got him on the court and kept him on the court to now where offensively, he's made strides, more plays and better decisions. That comfort level for him has really helped. He got himself on the court by doing a better job on the defensive end, and through that, it's really helped him offensively."Painter said he didn't realize he played Isaac Haas only eight minutes against Ohio State. He thought Haas' effort was "great" and he said he needs to play the freshman big man more. "He's drawing a lot of attention and he's playing hard and they're fouling him almost every time. The other end of the court, he's got to keep working and he's got to keep rebounding. He rebounded well in that game, and he hadn't been rebounding the ball well, like he had earlier in the season. Just keep plugging and keep fighting. I thought he helped us the other night."Purdue is riding a four-game winning streak, three of those victories against top-25 opponents. But Painter said he hasn't started talking NCAA Tournament with his team. "We don't need to get ahead of ourselves." The focus is on Minnesota.A.J. Hammons always has been a shot blocker, but he's had quite the performance the last week, getting eight against Indiana and seven against Ohio State in a one-week span. "A.J. Hammons is the best rim protector in our league. When he's getting seven blocks in a game, it's a difference maker. Some other games he doesn't get as many, but he still changes things. when he's in legal guarding position and he's moving his feet and he's talking, he changes things for us in the half court on the defensive end."Painter said he has no doubt that Jacquil Taylor will get a medical hardship waiver for the season. Other than Basil Smotherman's Iowa-Indiana swing and Bryson Scott's emergence against IU, Painter hasn't liked his bench's play the last couple games, he said. Even Haas hasn't been good consistently. And that's the rub, Painter said. "We haven't gotten that consistent play. You can also say that's why those guys are on the bench. If we have to shut it down again and guys not play at all and keep those guys out there even more, we're going to do that. But we've also proven those guys are capable off the bench, but their concentration has to be better when they come in. Because we're just not going to go on the road and have a couple runs cost us the game."Painter made sure to point out that though Purdue's Big Ten record looks good through 10 games, it's also had the benefit of playing teams without big weapons (Iowa's Aaron White, Ohio State's Marc Loving). "We've got to keep things in perspective and not rest on some things. Our guys have to understand we have to get better. Our best basketball in the Big Ten has to be ahead of us."
Asked about Davis' defense, Painter kind of went another way and, surprisingly, started talking about offense, something he rarely seems to do. "For me, I haven't wanted to take him out of the game. Any time you can play the whole game, it helps you. You get more opportunities. You get more into a flow. His defense has got him on the court and kept him on the court to now where offensively, he's made strides, more plays and better decisions. That comfort level for him has really helped. He got himself on the court by doing a better job on the defensive end, and through that, it's really helped him offensively."Painter said he didn't realize he played Isaac Haas only eight minutes against Ohio State. He thought Haas' effort was "great" and he said he needs to play the freshman big man more. "He's drawing a lot of attention and he's playing hard and they're fouling him almost every time. The other end of the court, he's got to keep working and he's got to keep rebounding. He rebounded well in that game, and he hadn't been rebounding the ball well, like he had earlier in the season. Just keep plugging and keep fighting. I thought he helped us the other night."Purdue is riding a four-game winning streak, three of those victories against top-25 opponents. But Painter said he hasn't started talking NCAA Tournament with his team. "We don't need to get ahead of ourselves." The focus is on Minnesota.A.J. Hammons always has been a shot blocker, but he's had quite the performance the last week, getting eight against Indiana and seven against Ohio State in a one-week span. "A.J. Hammons is the best rim protector in our league. When he's getting seven blocks in a game, it's a difference maker. Some other games he doesn't get as many, but he still changes things. when he's in legal guarding position and he's moving his feet and he's talking, he changes things for us in the half court on the defensive end."Painter said he has no doubt that Jacquil Taylor will get a medical hardship waiver for the season. Other than Basil Smotherman's Iowa-Indiana swing and Bryson Scott's emergence against IU, Painter hasn't liked his bench's play the last couple games, he said. Even Haas hasn't been good consistently. And that's the rub, Painter said. "We haven't gotten that consistent play. You can also say that's why those guys are on the bench. If we have to shut it down again and guys not play at all and keep those guys out there even more, we're going to do that. But we've also proven those guys are capable off the bench, but their concentration has to be better when they come in. Because we're just not going to go on the road and have a couple runs cost us the game."Painter made sure to point out that though Purdue's Big Ten record looks good through 10 games, it's also had the benefit of playing teams without big weapons (Iowa's Aaron White, Ohio State's Marc Loving). "We've got to keep things in perspective and not rest on some things. Our guys have to understand we have to get better. Our best basketball in the Big Ten has to be ahead of us."
