Questions in bold. (@BSpecial)
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Is Matt Painter's shift in recruiting philosophy toward offensive producers likely to be a long term approach for him?
Absolutely. He is all in on offensive skill right now and recruiting to the same model that this team is built around. I punted on some good big men this past summer because he preferred ultimate size to keep stock-piling shooters around. He is going to keep recruiting shooters in every class and placing an absolute premium on basketball IQ.
To be honest, Purdue is still perceived a certain way as a program, but though there remain big differences, the Boilermaker program is becoming something more like John Beilein Michigan as opposed to Gene Keady Purdue.
That doesn't mean Matt Painter's going to stop being a defensive coach at heart. It just means his non-negotiables probably lie much more on the offensive end these days. He's totally changed his team's systematic identity defensively to accommodate his offensive wants, and the results have sort of spoken for themselves.
How do 2023 (and later) commitments and prospects fit into this? Are any of them known for above-average skill on the defensive end?
That's a good question. Myles Colvin and Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn are both really high-end talents but they're both going to have to be able to play in structure, which is part of what's held Brandon Newman back. They are extremely talented, and I think Colvin can be a Kelly Oubre-type pro one day in the best case scenario. But for them to hit the ground running right away, they're going to have to learn how to play at this level at both ends of the floor, and that's always a challenge and an unknown this far out.
Colvin has every physical tool you'd want to be a really high-end wing defender, but the game is so assignment- and knowledge-based now that's it's not as simple as just 'I've got him,' that kind of thing. DGL has the quickness to be really good on the ball, but he'll also have to really pour himself into doing that and then understand the big picture once the ball is passed off.
Part of the reason Painter loves Carmel and Homestead kids and generally coaches' kids in general is because basketball structure is not as big an adjustment for them. I don't know if Colvin or Gibbs-Lawhorn have really had that, and again, that's been part of the challenge for Newman as well.
There's just no telling this far out, but it's also up to Purdue's coaches to teach them. That part of it goes without saying, but every player's learning curve is different.
Are there any younger players on the current roster who, in your opinion, might develop into elite defensive players after two or three years in the rotation?
"Elite" is a big word, but I think Ethan Morton has shown some intangibles in that regard and if Dakota Mathias could do it, I don't see why Morton can't. Seems to me as if off-ball defense on the wing can be more about mere preparation and anticipation than anything else, and when you're tall and long and smart like Morton is, I could see him being good at that one day. He got thrown to the wolves a bit earlier this season, and that will help him in the long run too.
This stuff nowadays involves so much switching, that those interchangeable guys who can match up and at least survive at a couple different positions matter so much. Morton could be one of those guys, as could Myles Colvin.
I think Mason Gillis is becoming a very good team defender, and those guys matter a lot, too, and I think, again, if Myles Colvin doesn't become a high-end defender at Purdue, that would be disappointing. He has everything you'd want. Physically, he's a cross between Kelsey Barlow and Rapheal Davis. Whether he has the sort of edge those guys played with is TBD.
Lastly, I don't think Braden Smith is a player who's going to overwhelm anyone defensively, but I think he can be a real pain in the ass to play against on the ball, because of his demeanor, but also his strength and competitiveness.
Why did Painter change his recruiting philosophy to target more offensive-type prospects?
Because those two bad teams he had drove him crazy. Those were bad shooting teams but they were worse passing teams and they were his moment of clarity that if you're not going to have this or that as a team, you should at least be able to pass and catch and make a three every now and then.
As it so happened, that eureka moment for him sort of dovetailed with basketball moving more and more toward the three-pointer and away from the clutching-and-grabbing defense Purdue once kinda sorta played. Purdue shifted right at the front end of basketball really shifting, I think.
When Purdue got AJ Hammons, they spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert letting him develop on the job because they knew he was their best chance. That investment in Hammons cost them games in the short term, but ultimately laid the template that got them Isaac Haas and then Caleb Swanigan and Trevion Williams and things sort of took off from there in terms of this inside-out offensive model.
This is Purdue now. This is a much more offensive-driven program than it was before and it will continue to have things to overcome at the defensive end, most likely, because of it. Playing big in today's college basketball is not easy.
But this is also a much more NBA-compatible program than ever before, too, and I think that nowadays, you absolutely must be able to show that sort of thing to high-end recruits.
This is ultimately Painter's direction and all that, but I do think Micah Shrewsberry was a supporting actor in all this, in terms of influencing Painter a bit from an offensive perspective, both during his first and second stints at Purdue. That's my impression anyway.
The greatest graphic is sports media returns
Is Matt Painter's shift in recruiting philosophy toward offensive producers likely to be a long term approach for him?
Absolutely. He is all in on offensive skill right now and recruiting to the same model that this team is built around. I punted on some good big men this past summer because he preferred ultimate size to keep stock-piling shooters around. He is going to keep recruiting shooters in every class and placing an absolute premium on basketball IQ.
To be honest, Purdue is still perceived a certain way as a program, but though there remain big differences, the Boilermaker program is becoming something more like John Beilein Michigan as opposed to Gene Keady Purdue.
That doesn't mean Matt Painter's going to stop being a defensive coach at heart. It just means his non-negotiables probably lie much more on the offensive end these days. He's totally changed his team's systematic identity defensively to accommodate his offensive wants, and the results have sort of spoken for themselves.
How do 2023 (and later) commitments and prospects fit into this? Are any of them known for above-average skill on the defensive end?
That's a good question. Myles Colvin and Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn are both really high-end talents but they're both going to have to be able to play in structure, which is part of what's held Brandon Newman back. They are extremely talented, and I think Colvin can be a Kelly Oubre-type pro one day in the best case scenario. But for them to hit the ground running right away, they're going to have to learn how to play at this level at both ends of the floor, and that's always a challenge and an unknown this far out.
Colvin has every physical tool you'd want to be a really high-end wing defender, but the game is so assignment- and knowledge-based now that's it's not as simple as just 'I've got him,' that kind of thing. DGL has the quickness to be really good on the ball, but he'll also have to really pour himself into doing that and then understand the big picture once the ball is passed off.
Part of the reason Painter loves Carmel and Homestead kids and generally coaches' kids in general is because basketball structure is not as big an adjustment for them. I don't know if Colvin or Gibbs-Lawhorn have really had that, and again, that's been part of the challenge for Newman as well.
There's just no telling this far out, but it's also up to Purdue's coaches to teach them. That part of it goes without saying, but every player's learning curve is different.
Are there any younger players on the current roster who, in your opinion, might develop into elite defensive players after two or three years in the rotation?
"Elite" is a big word, but I think Ethan Morton has shown some intangibles in that regard and if Dakota Mathias could do it, I don't see why Morton can't. Seems to me as if off-ball defense on the wing can be more about mere preparation and anticipation than anything else, and when you're tall and long and smart like Morton is, I could see him being good at that one day. He got thrown to the wolves a bit earlier this season, and that will help him in the long run too.
This stuff nowadays involves so much switching, that those interchangeable guys who can match up and at least survive at a couple different positions matter so much. Morton could be one of those guys, as could Myles Colvin.
I think Mason Gillis is becoming a very good team defender, and those guys matter a lot, too, and I think, again, if Myles Colvin doesn't become a high-end defender at Purdue, that would be disappointing. He has everything you'd want. Physically, he's a cross between Kelsey Barlow and Rapheal Davis. Whether he has the sort of edge those guys played with is TBD.
Lastly, I don't think Braden Smith is a player who's going to overwhelm anyone defensively, but I think he can be a real pain in the ass to play against on the ball, because of his demeanor, but also his strength and competitiveness.
Why did Painter change his recruiting philosophy to target more offensive-type prospects?
Because those two bad teams he had drove him crazy. Those were bad shooting teams but they were worse passing teams and they were his moment of clarity that if you're not going to have this or that as a team, you should at least be able to pass and catch and make a three every now and then.
As it so happened, that eureka moment for him sort of dovetailed with basketball moving more and more toward the three-pointer and away from the clutching-and-grabbing defense Purdue once kinda sorta played. Purdue shifted right at the front end of basketball really shifting, I think.
When Purdue got AJ Hammons, they spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert letting him develop on the job because they knew he was their best chance. That investment in Hammons cost them games in the short term, but ultimately laid the template that got them Isaac Haas and then Caleb Swanigan and Trevion Williams and things sort of took off from there in terms of this inside-out offensive model.
This is Purdue now. This is a much more offensive-driven program than it was before and it will continue to have things to overcome at the defensive end, most likely, because of it. Playing big in today's college basketball is not easy.
But this is also a much more NBA-compatible program than ever before, too, and I think that nowadays, you absolutely must be able to show that sort of thing to high-end recruits.
This is ultimately Painter's direction and all that, but I do think Micah Shrewsberry was a supporting actor in all this, in terms of influencing Painter a bit from an offensive perspective, both during his first and second stints at Purdue. That's my impression anyway.
