Just an observation - I think he's broke - saw a few times where he was wide open and wouldn't shoot tonight.
Spike
- Thread starter saratogashaw
- Start date
I liked when we signed him and I get it - clutch past history in huge games, injured, take a chance. Maybe he eventually breaks out but right now the other team knows he's not shooting even when he's wide open.
I agree.Spike just isnt helping this team right now.Purdue couldnt have played much worse in the last four minutes.Nobody looked very good for the Boilermakers down the stretch.Games like this one made my Dad hate basketball.
The real issue...the real elephant in the room...is the failure to recruit a genuine above average PG, and it has been an issue far more often than it has not during Painter's time (and even for a lot of Keady's for that matter).
PJ Thompson is a great kid and has absolutely gotten the most out of his ability...but, he is not a guy that would start at any of the other top programs in the B1G...he has limitations, and it holds Purdue back. I like him...I appreciate him and do not blame him at all...but it is what it is...his A/TO ratio that is repeatedly touted is maybe the most worthless and overrated statistic of all-time, and using it as justification for his being Purdue's starting PG and getting as many minutes as he does is ridiculous.
Bottom line...Painter has failed repeatedly to address the issue at the position, and it has hurt him and his teams more than anything else. He has tried for three years in a row now to find a guy in a 5th year transfer to fix the problem, because he is not capable of successfully recruiting an elite PG. There has been way too much turnover personnel-wise at the position that has compounded the problem, but ultimately, the problem is a failure to land a guy that could be the guy at the position and be a difference maker...he had that in Kramer...Octeus was a gift that provided it...but it has not been there otherwise...Edwards was allegedly going to be, but that obviously is not the case...there is speculation about Eastern, and while it would be nice if he were, there are many that allege that he not only is a PG, but that he won't be one at Purdue.
Like say, if Purdue had an elite PG (never mind if it just had a couple of really good ones), it would address so many of the other issues that it actually has...at both ends of the floor.
Spike needs to take open shots when he has them. The past couple games really shows how shaken his confidence has become. He hasn't hit shots all year but a shooter believes he will hit the next one. He clearly doesn't believe he will and that's a shame for a kid that is touted as a great outside shooter. Hopefully he gets out of this funk but I'm not sure if it's going to happen and I'm not sure if we should continue to give him significant minutes to ride it out.
Agreed. I honestly have to idea why he would be getting minutes at the 1 over PJ, Dakota or Carsen. Any one of them on an off day is just as effective as spike. He seems to take care of the ball but that's about it. No offense to the guy but he just doesn't bring much to the court.
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