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For the second time this summer, Purdue Basketball opened its Cardinal Court doors to media and we got a look at the new look Boilermakers just a couple days before they trek all the way to the Canadian West Coast to where it’ll play three games in six days against international competition.
As Assistant Coach Paul Lusk told me after practice, the trip isn’t all about basketball. The chance to travel for exhibitions against other teams is valuable on the court, but maybe even more so off the court. Purdue will have chances to travel and explore the area, share experiences, and as cliche as it sounds, build genuine connection with each other. It’s a bonding trip for a team that has big shoes to fill on the court and as leaders.
The closer knit this group can become, the better it’ll be when things get tough.
But for now, let’s talk about what I saw at the second summer media practice:
Caden Pierce leads charge at the rim
Caden Pierce was one of Purdue’s biggest trips into the transfer portal. The former Ivy Leaguer was the best player in his conference and the focal point of his offense. Now, Pierce is both trying to blend in and add much needed experience for a team that lost four starters last season.
Pierces game is a bit deceiving. He’s a bit jack of all trade, bit of athletic four, who has played as an undersized five and could potentially play as an oversized three for Purdue. He’s not a great shooter but can space the floor. He’s not a bulldozer inside but can be effective on the block.
He didn’t flash in the first practice media got to see. That might be a trend for Pierce. Part of what makes Pierce so valuable for head coach Matt Painter is how he can fit in in so many ways.
But in this second practice, Pierce did flash. He headlined what appears to be one of the best rim attacking teams Purdue has had.
The difference for Pierce is he’s going to be able to do this at the four spot. Pierce has a great first step and can attack defenses and bigs guarding him on an island. With the way Purdue moves the ball and the shooting around him, Pierce should have room to get going full steam at the rim. On three straight plays in modified scrimmage settings, Pierce needed just one move to get right to the rim. Pierce has size to bully, but it’s really that he’s quick for his size and able to get to the rim before you expect.
He joins a collection of guards for Purdue that look comfortable attacking at the hoop. Gicarri Harris continues to take strides attacking off the bounce. Antione West is a big guard with great athleticism. Omer Mayer is a bully of a guard that will get more than enough chances to get to the hoop.
Enzo Shahrvin is on campus
And Enzo Shahrvin is a full sized forward. Online he’s listed somewhere between 6-7 and 6-8, but Shahrvin will have no concerns handling the physical requirements of banging down low in the Big Ten. As Matt Painter said after practice, Purdue brought him to West Lafayette for his physicality. He was something that Purdue was frankly missing. He’s a true four – capable of working as a back up five if necessary, but he’s a traditional rim running, rim protecting, board enforcing bruiser as he gets acquainted to the playbook and life at Purdue.
With Purdue getting ready for live actiont his week and Shahrvin still not eligible by way of the NCAA, he will not be competing in the Vancouver games. He was active in most drills but also sat out portions as Purdue scrimmaged and practiced sets to get ready for games later this week. He just arrived on campus this week and is getting used to a new country, a new program, but already looks the part in limited action.
It’s an early call, but Shahrvin is the addition, to me, that unlocks everyone else on the roster as I wrote about yesterday: Why Enzo Shahrvin matters for Purdue Basketball
Ball handlers everywhere
After I asked about Matt Painter about the versatility of his roster, Painter ended up in an interesting place.
He talked about his bevvy of guards and how this roster has a lot of combo guards and ball handlers. That isn’t by accident. He’s prioritized guards that can handle the ball, play make, and attack. He wants threats everywhere on the floor. He’s got that now with his roster. It’s obvious that Purdue’s most difficult decision will be which guards when.
Luke Ertel looked a bit more like a freshman this practice. At one point, Matt Painter had to remind him that his big guys are seven foot plus – put the ball up in the air to him. Then shortly after, PJ Thompson was telling Ertel to not predetermine his reads, even in practice after he missed an open big cutting down the lane.
But a play later, Ertel was delivering a perfect lob to a big for a dunk.
Antione West’s redshirt era is over. He’s the kind of physically gifted guard that can blossom, as Painter said, maybe next week, maybe in a year, but it’s coming.
CJ Cox is Purdue’s best player with the ball in his hand and will lead them in scoring. Gicarri Harris looked more aggressive with both his shot and getting to the hoop.
Omer Mayer is still a big guard that can get his shot any time he wants and will run the offense.
Jack Benter and Caden Pierce are both comfortable making plays with the ball in their hands.
Purdue does not have a collection of All Big Ten players, all-time assist and three-point leaders, and national player of the year finalists like years past, but it also doesn’t have many weaknesses on the floor.
Big men heading to big things?
‘No one’s made a three point shot in a while,‘ Kraig Bowers of Boilers in the Stands said to me after watching some half court scrimmage sets for a few minutes. It was true. Purdue hadn’t made a three point shot in a while.
It hadn’t shot many, if any, to be fair. Instead, the ball movement, the screening, the sets, they all led to similar things. The threats on the perimeter, the carefully layered screens, the quick ball movement, it all turned to the same thing. A seven footer or close to seven footer near the rim, without another seven footer near them, an open rim to hang on.
It won’t be that easy when other teams have their own seven footers. But the threat remains. Purdue and its beautifully functioning offense will use all its threats, its tricks, its ball movement and shooting, and when defenses balk, turn, chase, a giant will be positioned near the rim where a high pass or a swing pass will unlock another easy basket at the rim for Purdue.
Purdue will not be able to replace all that production and efficiency it lost last season with one person, but height, real height, mixed with threats and basketball IQ and passing everywhere else, will take the sting away from losing Purdue’s most prominent three-point shooter and the all-time assist leaders. Daniel Jacobsen, Raleigh Burgess, and Enzo Shahrvin will feast inside as teams contend with the likes of Omer Mayer, CJ Cox, Jack Benter, Antione West, Gicarri Harris, Caden Pierce, and Luke Ertel on the perimeter.
Will have more on my conversation with assistant coach Paul Lusk later this week.
