Note: To look back on summer workouts and ahead to fall practice, GoldandBlack.com is taking a player-by-play look at the Purdue basketball team's 10 scholarship players this week. We're going in alphabetical order. Up: Rapheal Davis
The first thing Purdue needs this season from Rapheal Davis is very obvious: Leadership.
Perhaps you've heard by now that Purdue has no seniors and as many freshmen on scholarship as returnees. Someone has to fill that leadership and simple personality void and that guy has to be Davis, no way around it.
He is Purdue's most leadership-equipped personality, seemingly one of its hardest-working and most-driven players and has some charisma to him. And unlike most of the rest of the roster, he's played a lot. He's Purdue's lone returning captain, bumped up to that title in-season last year, a credit to him but also partly related to failings by others.
Lately, Purdue has not had great leadership - however it can be quantified beyond simply results - and needs some now more than ever. Freshmen need it, for one thing, and Purdue has five of them who are going to be crucial for this program this year, next year and those after.
This season is Davis' chance to impact Purdue's program as much that way as any other, to be that David Teague or Chris Kramer type that are looked back on years later for their intangible contributions as much as their tangible ones.
Davis should have plenty of tangible ones, though, too.
In a perfect world, you'll see a more-skilled player out of Davis this summer and perhaps a slightly better athlete. Those were emphases this summer.
Davis seems to believe he's stronger in his legs, much more "explosive," and that's made him more athletic, perhaps something that could help him as an offensive finisher or rebounder. Improved lateral movement would help him on defense, specifically on the wing, and we'll see about that.
Physicality and strength have been two of Davis' calling cards to this point; balancing them out with improved athleticism and agility could make for a really nice player physically.
Purdue needs Davis to score, though I don't know if he's ever going to be a guy it "features" on offense, if that makes sense. Davis has found ways to be productive before and will continue to. No reason to think he can't be a guy who pushes to average double-figures.
He is a motivated player that does put in work - we have seen it with our own eyes - so you wonder if the day won't come where the light just comes on with his jump-shooting. If it doesn't, it'll keep being garbage stuff that Davis will have to rely on.
I don't know how transition-oriented Purdue is going to be this year considering its different personnel, but this group is going to have to generate something outside of traditional halfcourt offense.
Davis would seem like one of Purdue's best options to generate some points in the open floor - creating those opportunities starts on defense - but even more importantly for him is rebounding.
He's been a productive rebounder in his career and should continue to be. Here's guessing he'll find ways to generate a putback or two per game, because he is strong, he does pursue the ball and he is pretty good around the rim in traffic.
For starters, though, it will be interesting to see where Davis even plays. We might make too much sometimes of position, but Davis has played the 4 spot and 3 spot. Wherever he plays, he'll log big minutes. Purdue needs his experience on the floor.
And that experience needs to pay off for him. He is an excitable personality. Poise is important, especially in such a potentially influential personality. Decision-making is going to be of paramount importance for every single player on the roster. It might be the single-biggest factor in turning the kind of basketball you've seen the last two seasons back into the kind of basketball you were accustomed to seeing prior.
As of now, I'd expect Davis to be a productive player for Purdue again, a good effort guy who should be good for a couple garbage buckets and a bunch of free throws per game, a handful of rebounds per game and a bunch of tone-setting effort and physicality, as Purdue will hope.
Davis is obviously one of the Boilermakers' most important players and I get the sense that that's a role he's really going to embrace and take seriously. Considering some of the issues of the past few seasons, I'm not sure that's always happened with players in roles as important as the one Davis is in now.
It will with Davis.
The first thing Purdue needs this season from Rapheal Davis is very obvious: Leadership.
Perhaps you've heard by now that Purdue has no seniors and as many freshmen on scholarship as returnees. Someone has to fill that leadership and simple personality void and that guy has to be Davis, no way around it.
He is Purdue's most leadership-equipped personality, seemingly one of its hardest-working and most-driven players and has some charisma to him. And unlike most of the rest of the roster, he's played a lot. He's Purdue's lone returning captain, bumped up to that title in-season last year, a credit to him but also partly related to failings by others.
Lately, Purdue has not had great leadership - however it can be quantified beyond simply results - and needs some now more than ever. Freshmen need it, for one thing, and Purdue has five of them who are going to be crucial for this program this year, next year and those after.
This season is Davis' chance to impact Purdue's program as much that way as any other, to be that David Teague or Chris Kramer type that are looked back on years later for their intangible contributions as much as their tangible ones.
Davis should have plenty of tangible ones, though, too.
In a perfect world, you'll see a more-skilled player out of Davis this summer and perhaps a slightly better athlete. Those were emphases this summer.
Davis seems to believe he's stronger in his legs, much more "explosive," and that's made him more athletic, perhaps something that could help him as an offensive finisher or rebounder. Improved lateral movement would help him on defense, specifically on the wing, and we'll see about that.
Physicality and strength have been two of Davis' calling cards to this point; balancing them out with improved athleticism and agility could make for a really nice player physically.
Purdue needs Davis to score, though I don't know if he's ever going to be a guy it "features" on offense, if that makes sense. Davis has found ways to be productive before and will continue to. No reason to think he can't be a guy who pushes to average double-figures.
He is a motivated player that does put in work - we have seen it with our own eyes - so you wonder if the day won't come where the light just comes on with his jump-shooting. If it doesn't, it'll keep being garbage stuff that Davis will have to rely on.
I don't know how transition-oriented Purdue is going to be this year considering its different personnel, but this group is going to have to generate something outside of traditional halfcourt offense.
Davis would seem like one of Purdue's best options to generate some points in the open floor - creating those opportunities starts on defense - but even more importantly for him is rebounding.
He's been a productive rebounder in his career and should continue to be. Here's guessing he'll find ways to generate a putback or two per game, because he is strong, he does pursue the ball and he is pretty good around the rim in traffic.
For starters, though, it will be interesting to see where Davis even plays. We might make too much sometimes of position, but Davis has played the 4 spot and 3 spot. Wherever he plays, he'll log big minutes. Purdue needs his experience on the floor.
And that experience needs to pay off for him. He is an excitable personality. Poise is important, especially in such a potentially influential personality. Decision-making is going to be of paramount importance for every single player on the roster. It might be the single-biggest factor in turning the kind of basketball you've seen the last two seasons back into the kind of basketball you were accustomed to seeing prior.
As of now, I'd expect Davis to be a productive player for Purdue again, a good effort guy who should be good for a couple garbage buckets and a bunch of free throws per game, a handful of rebounds per game and a bunch of tone-setting effort and physicality, as Purdue will hope.
Davis is obviously one of the Boilermakers' most important players and I get the sense that that's a role he's really going to embrace and take seriously. Considering some of the issues of the past few seasons, I'm not sure that's always happened with players in roles as important as the one Davis is in now.
It will with Davis.
