What happened to this guy? He was a huge reason if not the reason why we were so good in November. Now it's like he is afraid to shoot more than 5 times a game. Smith only shooting 3-5 times a game isn't a recipe for success.
Smith
- Thread starter ImRonBurgandy?
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As good as he’s been, he’s still a freshman. I’m sure that last night was the toughest D he has faced in his life. He will be ok.
he has to shoot more and he has to stop leaving his feet to make passes, has been getting caught in the air a little bit much lately
Hes a true qb pg. He's always going to defer at this point in time and his development.
He's also hitting the proverbial 'freshmen wall' which has nothing to do with fatigue and everything to do with other teams realizing that players ability and they stop leaving them open to help elsewhere.
Smith and Loyer are now getting guarded like the shooting threats they ARE and being true freshmen and weak (in comparison) they are fading from view.
It happens.
My concern is suddenly not shooting free throws either. We win that game if people that can shoot hit their damn free throws....
He's also hitting the proverbial 'freshmen wall' which has nothing to do with fatigue and everything to do with other teams realizing that players ability and they stop leaving them open to help elsewhere.
Smith and Loyer are now getting guarded like the shooting threats they ARE and being true freshmen and weak (in comparison) they are fading from view.
It happens.
My concern is suddenly not shooting free throws either. We win that game if people that can shoot hit their damn free throws....
Painter specifically mentioned him in the post game press conference as needing to play better than he did last night. I think Smith will respond. He learned a ton last night and it will ultimately make him better going forward.
The announcers (Robbie) also mentioned Painter had said he's told Smith to shoot it more when he's got the open shot.
Yeah - by observation, it appears he's still figuring that out - he's only played 14 games.....again, to me, these are the necessary steps for ultimately better success when the maximum effort and focus and experience really pays off......we shall see.
Also - pardon the Old Gold & Black vision, but even though he missed the shot, it has to help Brandon Newman that his teammates gave him the shot, and Zach Edey backed that up saying they got a good shot, and he'd live with that every time - it just didn't go down this time. Just not quite the winning stroke, and it was short.....he will make a bigger shot somewhere down the line, IMO - and I would bet on that.
He had several opportunities on drives to take it to the hoop. He passed it instead. Looked like easy layups too.
he tried to be too cute with his passes. not too worried about his shooting. i am more concerned with loyer's shot and team ft shooting
Morton does this too and it drives me bonkers. It looks great when they kick it out and we hit a 3. Problem is our outside shooting is shit, so why not get the layup or the ~15 footer?
It seems like this is an adjustment that many of the best passers have to make because they see so much, but what was open against a lesser opponent is not open against a team like Rutgers.
Yeah he needs to be more selfish. He can hit those driving layups and floaters.
Thought some might be interested in this............long, long way to go yet, but Mr. Smith will be a big factor one way or the other in how the Boilers' fortunes turn out....
Many are starting to come around that he is a really good player. The kid wants to win and do whatever he can to win. He is crucial to Purdue's success this year. There are so many ways he dissects the other team you can't hone in on one particular aspect of his game. As much of a competitor he is and as much as he is willing to do whatever he can to win, he has no problem giving a hand to an opponent to help him up. He flies high above so many that see the game as an attempt to draw attention to them when making a good play while also denigrating the opponent.
He, like sooooooo many Purdue players are a step above...winners on the court...winners in the classroom...winners in life...people that generally carrying themselves well...something Purdue grads and fans appreciate.
He’s also an exceptional athlete. His size might be less than ideal; but good rebounding numbers speak to his athleticism. Ja and Lonzo are great company and great athletes. His balance, speed and strength are bordering on elite for his size
This is not as try hard Charlie. I think he'll be an NBA pro
This is not as try hard Charlie. I think he'll be an NBA pro
I've enjoyed several heaping piles of crow about Smith since the season started.
This kid is a player and I'm glad I was 100% wrong about him.
He's probably the best PG I've seen at PU going back to Tony Jones in the 80's.
I love that he's gotten more aggressive on offense the last couple of games and he's making a deadly high PnR combo with Edey.
As Ray Davis said "Whatever 'It' is, Smith has it".
This kid is a player and I'm glad I was 100% wrong about him.
He's probably the best PG I've seen at PU going back to Tony Jones in the 80's.
I love that he's gotten more aggressive on offense the last couple of games and he's making a deadly high PnR combo with Edey.
As Ray Davis said "Whatever 'It' is, Smith has it".
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I agree with you on his athleticism. In terms of speed, quickness, and length, I think he’s similar to Carsen Edwards.
Maybe my Purdue heart blinds me some, but I love his confident swagger. He's not a jerk like some others we see. I'm sure some rival fans may say different, but how can you not like him if you are a fan of basketball?
He should continue doing this
It reminded me of Andrew Luck kindly congratulating an opponent after taking a big hit or sack.
A good gesture that also serves as a reverse-psychology type of trash talk.
Agree, I noticed that too. While not as common as they should be, such acts are a reminder to everyone watching that competition is fun, but at the end of the day people are still people and should respect each other. We all need that refreshing take once in a while. And if it doubles to “get in their head” there are worse ways to do that (like all of them).
I have cried and complained and whined for the past 10 years that what Purdue really needs is not 20 million players that can shoot the three. What they needed was a true pg that could also be the floor general and coach on the floor. They needed somebody to set the tone and the tempo and direct and control the players on the court without always having to call a timeout or looking at the bench to figure out what play to run .
Smith is that guy!
Smith is that guy!
If he can improve from year 1 to year 2 as much Edwards, LOOK OUT!!
I think he is better than Edwards was as a freshman.
Horrible comparison, Carsen was an undersiazed shooting guard andn much more athletic than Smith, but was a shoot first player. I loved Carsen, they are just completely differentn players.
Yeah, all we had to do was find the best HS PG in the country in our back yard, who happened to fly so far under the radar that he wasn’t even recruited by other high majors. Not to detract from Painter’s ability to evaluate and coax talent, but this guy was more the diamond in the rough than a piece of moldable clay. Finding everything on the point guard wish list can’t possibly be this easy most of the time. Having said that, I could see us getting a major recruiting leverage bump after the season. A program previously known for its focus on bigs now has one of the top guards in the country three years in a row, and it’s a different guard each time. And all of them vastly over achieved their high school ranking. And Purdue being featured on every sports show each week for the past month (all season really) doesn’t hurt either.
Painter has done this many times. Ivery was around the 80th player out of highschool....drafted 4th overall, Carsen Edwards, 115th, drafted, Vince Edwards, 120th to drafted, Hummell 70th to drafted. Painter has done it a ton, he coaches up players and finds players other schools dont find. He does great getting 3 and 4 star recruits to the NBA especially if your last name is Edwards.
From Matt Norlander's article about Painter on CBS sports today.
Painter needed another guard after losing Brown. He fielded a lot of calls from people in Indianapolis who stumped for Smith. After watching five prospects in a three-day window, Painter put Smith, the lowest-ranked of the five, at the top of his list.
Court Report: Formula that won Kansas a national title might also help Purdue win 2023 NCAA Tournament
Matt Norlander's weekly insider notebook also examines why conference favorites have stumbled and gives the latest on Texas' coaching search
www.cbssports.com
As I look back, there were many people who thought Loyer should have been mr basketball because of his much better stats. But smith does so many other things that don’t show up in a fantasy stat sheet.
I have always praised painter for his eye for talent. It’s becoming clear to those of us who don’t live in Indiana that Smith was deserving of the awards he has received.
I have always praised painter for his eye for talent. It’s becoming clear to those of us who don’t live in Indiana that Smith was deserving of the awards he has received.
Braden Smith has a nose for the ball. He anticipates very well, the ball coming off the rim on missed
shots...so he is always in good position to rebound the basketball to make up for his size. I am not sure that skill is teachable...but instinctual. I would call it high basketball IQ.
We are so fortunate to have him on the team... and Braden works so well w/Zach Edey allowing Zach to realize his full potential and for Purdue to take full advantage of a player 7' 4" who has such good footwork and agility for a player of his size.
shots...so he is always in good position to rebound the basketball to make up for his size. I am not sure that skill is teachable...but instinctual. I would call it high basketball IQ.
We are so fortunate to have him on the team... and Braden works so well w/Zach Edey allowing Zach to realize his full potential and for Purdue to take full advantage of a player 7' 4" who has such good footwork and agility for a player of his size.
Then of course we also have TKR and Newman. Good problems to have.Court Report: Formula that won Kansas a national title might also help Purdue win 2023 NCAA Tournament
Matt Norlander's weekly insider notebook also examines why conference favorites have stumbled and gives the latest on Texas' coaching search
I think he's a combination of Carson Cunningham, Carsen Edwards.
They were very different players, but in terms of the three things that I mentioned, quickness, speed, and length, to my eye Smith is right there with him. Notice that I did not saying leaping ability, but even there, Smith is pretty explosive. I certainly don’t think that the way that they play is similar.
That's so funny that my dad used that exact comparison yesterday. My dad just turned 90 last month.
I think a lot of folks like to compare Smith to Edwards because of their similar height.
Edwards is built more like a running back or safety, whereas Smith is built like a WR or CB.
Both players can score from all 3 levels although Edwards had quite the array of moves. Smith is the way better passer.
I actually would argue Smith is every bit as athletic as Edwards, if not more so. Smith's standing vertical seems like it is probably one of the best on the team, maybe 2nd to Heide?
EDIT: I looked up Edwards agility test results from the combine. He did better than I remember. His standing vertical was only 28.5in, however.
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Ya know...when I first posted about him and thought his name was brandon since I couldn't hear grandpa with the game noise, a poster commented that I didn't even know his name as an attempt to discredit what I said and another poster said something about grandpa. I get it. Those two AND you were right to have concerns, because he truly didn't have those metrics of a physical scale that "most" need. Additionally, all most people had to go on were the publicised offers. Everyone that questioned his ability had legitimate concerns.
However, when I saw him jump talking to his dad with Brian close by at the junior senior all star game in Brownsburg???? I left knowing he was pretty athletic and was very impressed with his vision and overall court awareness. I wanted to catch some games his senior year, but when able to get to some he was already resting his foot that had a screw in it trying to heal enough to take a final shot at winning the sectional which everyone knows was very tough. I went to the sectional and was blown away. He added to what I already knew with some outstanding shooting and passing as well as overall control of the game. I knew he was an underdog for Mr Basketball prior to tourney play, but after a couple of games I told his dad that he had a great shot at Mr Basketball.
There is no crow to eat. A lot of people missed on Braden. He didn't fit the mold that most successful ball players carry and there were legitimate reasons to question if Purdue had a PG problem. Now, we all know he is a great addition to Purdue not only in his play, but adding to that long line of "good people" Matt recruits.
Huge Cavs fan back to the early 80's, I love Price. One of the greatest shooters ever, we will see, but possible I guess. Craft? Much better defender than Smith, but Smith as a freshman is alrady a better scorer and shooter than Craft ever was, I dont see that one. Price was a better scorer his freshman year, but Price didnt have a POTY canidate to feed like Smith...I hope he turns into Price.
Innteresting, I would argue Smith as a freshman is as good as Cunningham was as a 5th year senior, and I liked Cunningham. We like to compare players, its natural, but no one really lines up. Hoestly I like many people, are suprised how good Smith is. Not because I saw him in high school, i live in AZ and dont even follow local high schools here much less in Indiana, but because he plays like a senior, like Cunningham, when he is only a freshman.
Lets say he is a shorter Matt Painter, lol...kidding, at 6'6, Paintner as a senior only averaged 2.7 Rebs a game, by far his most, and never scored like Smith can....even Painter would agree that was an insult to Smith, lmao
So I told his great grandpa with grandpa between us as we were watching Flory and Catchings in the morning games that Braden carries himself well and great grandpa said, "I appreciate that...that's good...and important."
Since we're on this a bit...and I have to break away from some of my tedious gathering of tax numbers in excel that is wearing me down for the last two days and a couple more to go probably ...in just getting it together... I'll share a story I heard las July along those lines.
I was at a birthday party back in July for a brother-in-law. I caught he and his brother that had stepped outside the gathering a bit just in time to hear them talking about so and so being such a good person. The conversation continued about the importance of being a good person when I heard the brother ask my brother-in-law if he remembered teh game where he had the ball and pumped faked and the defender (they couldn't remember if he was an All-American?) jumped and was about to fall on his head, when brother-in-law dropped the ball and caught him to keep him from falling on his head and was assessed a foul which would be right.
That guy that I can't recall his name thanked him and went to the FT line and deliberately missed. Somewhere between that and today, we lost something in a game we all love.Similar threads
