Purdue basketball primer: Point guard, post play, defense among topics as practice starts
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WEST LAFAYETTE – As Purdue begins official practices for the 2022-23 on Tuesday, here are early storylines to track leading up to the secret scrimmage against Cincinnati, the Nov. 2 exhibition matchup against Truman State and the Nov. 8 season opener against Milwaukee:
POINT GUARD
Matt Painter spent the spring looking for a point guard in the transfer portal to add needed experience to the backcourt. David Jenkins, a transfer from Utah, isn’t a true point guard but has a skill set that can run the position and give the Boilermakers a veteran on the perimeter.
A handful of players will be involved in the point guard competition, but all will play a role in some capacity. Along with Jenkins, junior Ethan Morton along with freshmen Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer fit Painter’s template of handling the ball.
Jenkins, Smith and Loyer are new players in Painter’s system.
“I think that's more of a question than anything; not the quality of players that we have. I don't think that's in question,” Painter said. “David has proven himself, I think Braden is going to be a fabulous player for us. But Ethan Morton and then Fletch are two other guys that handle the basketball that will do some point guard things.”
The point guard position will offer plenty of competition leading up to the first game and throughout the season. Breaking the press, starting the offense and picking up the basketball on the defensive end are among the areas to watch.
“I think it's going to be really good,” Painter said. “Even though we're inexperienced in terms of guys playing at Purdue in the backcourt, we still do have some experience with Ethan Morton and Brandon (Newman) and with David. We just don't have a lot of experience together.”
BACKUP POSTS
One of the more intriguing aspects of this year’s team is when Zach Edey goes to the bench. How many minutes Edey averages is also a point of discussion, but the Boilermakers can feature a different style compared to when the 7-foot-4 junior is on the floor.
Last year, when Trevion Williams came off the bench Purdue was nearly the same team. It played through the post with Edey and Williams and let Jaden Ivey do his thing. Without Edey, Painter turns to Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn as center candidates.
But neither is your typical back-to-basket post player. Both can force defenders away from the basket to open up more space and additional scoring opportunities for their teammates. Or, Furst and Kaufman-Renn can play beyond the 3-point line and force bigger players to defend in space.
Add Mason Gills, a projected starter at power forward, and the inside options are appealing.
“I'm excited about Caleb, Trey and Mason and I think they can really help us playing with Zach,” Painter said. “But also when he's not in there, we can really engineer a lot of things because you go from having to deal with him and then you go with having to chase big guys around who can shoot 3s and drive the ball. That's pretty cool as a coach. You can do a lot of different stuff. At least I like it.”
OFF THE BENCH
Last season Painter rotated 10 to 11 players on a nightly basis, allowing them to earn minutes and see where they fit in the big picture. In some games, it’s worked. In others, the depth got in the way.
It’s a similar situation this season where at least 10 players could be part of the mix, but it also depends if anyone redshirts.
“We're in a good situation because we have a lot of people that are competing to get there,” Painter said. “We don't have a lot of separation right now. You're just waiting as time goes on for that separation.
“The guys that can handle the basketball and that can pass the basketball give themselves a real advantage because all of them can shoot. We don't have a person on our team that can't shoot. So, who's the best decision makers?”
IMPROVED DEFENSE?
The Boilermakers endured problems on the defensive end last season, but Matt Painter is quick to point out that those issues stemmed from what transpired – or didn’t transpire – on the offensive end along with turnovers.
That led to poor transition defense where the Boilermakers were caught in 5-on-4, 4-on-3 and 3-on-2 situations where opponents had an advantage. While focusing on the defensive end is warranted, better execution and taking care of the basketball are important steps this season.
Purdue finished with 85 more turnovers than its opponents but was unbeaten when committing nine or fewer.
“We put ourselves in such a poor position when we turned the ball over that our transition defense wasn't that good,” Painter said. “And then we would make progress and then it would rear its ugly head.
“Our turnovers really affected our defense, our inability to do our job, and it wasn't like anybody was not playing hard, wasn't like anybody wasn't competing, but we just didn't have the ability collectively to be detail oriented and do our job and that's what really hurt us.”
Can this year’s team develop into a detail-oriented group, one that truly values possessions and understands what happens on one end of the floor impacts the other end?
“I think it all starts with simply doing your job and that's on both offense and defense,” Painter said. “If we can do a better job there, that allows us to stay connected. When you stay connected and everybody's on the same page, you're giving yourself a better chance to win.”
Mike Carmin covers Purdue sports for the Journal & Courier and USA Today Sports Network. Email mcarmin@gannett.com and follow on Twitter and Instagram @carmin_jc
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Point guard, post play, defense among topics as Purdue practice starts
