My take on Purdue, ~halfway through the season:
Bigs:
Trevion Williams: As advertised. Scoring, rebounding, good passing. Despite not having quite the vertical size of some of the players in the conference at the 5 spot, he's got plenty of bulk to bang in the paint, a huge wingspan, giant hands to pass one-handed or corral rebounds, and some nifty postmoves. On the negative side, he gets a little cheap with his fouls, which has caused him to spend WAY too much time on the bench, particularly in the first half of games. Purdue to some point has been as "2nd half" team this year, and maybe that's based on the split between the minutes Tre gets per half... Grade: B+ - an "A" on the court, but knocked down because fouling takes him off it too often.
Zach Edey: 9 straight years for Purdue having a 7 footer on the roster, and he's the tallest player in Purdue history at 7'4". Coming into the year, it was thought he might be a major project. He only started playing basketball midway through high school, when the Canadian realized that he'd be too tall for hockey or baseball, his first choices. IMHO he has the highest ceiling of any of Purdue's 7 footers, because he's in between Haas and Haarms--more mobile than Haas but not as willowy as Haarms. In the non-con, he looked like an instant impact guy, but has hit a bit of a freshman wall as we've reached conference play. Still, he's been a serviceable replacement for the 5 when Tre is on the bench, and that's enough to expect out of him this year. Grade: B - on a curve due to his youth, he's met and slightly exceeded expectations
Overall: Purdue continues to be "Big Man U", with a Jr who will likely show up somewhere on the All-B1G list even if not first team (Garza will surely be there), and a promising backup who I guarantee teams will fear next year and beyond.
Forwards:
Aaron Wheeler: The RS Junior flashed a lot in the 2018-19 season in his first action, showing an unguardable 3 pt shot due to his height, a tenacity for grabbing rebounds, and opportunistic scoring with rebounds, put-backs, and the occasional "WTF how did he do that?" athletic plays out of nowhere. 2019-20 was a major step back as we all were hoping for a step forward. At 6'9" with the ability to leap out of the arena, we all hoped to see him develop a 3-level offensive game, but it turned into a zero-level offensive game as the 3pt shot completely left him. This year he's moderately improved, showing a little more bulk on his frame, a higher understanding of the offense and defense, and at least a return to making some shots from deep. Major strength is rebounding, particularly important when Edey is on the floor rather than Tre because Edey isn't a great rebounder despite his size. Grade: B- - He should be owning the position as an upperclassman, but is merely functional.
Mason Gillis: Gillis basically lost most of his Jr and Sr years in HS due to injury, and then spent a redshirt year because he wasn't quite ready to get on the court after spending so much time unable to play. All last year Painter said he was one of the hardest workers in practice, and that work paid off. He's an ultimate "glue guy" player. High BBIQ like Grady Eifert, but with a lot more strength and athleticism. Not quite the offensive game of someone like a Vince Edwards, but makes up for it in rebounding and effort plays. Grade: B+ - Nobody knew what they'd get with him away from the game so long, but he's been a bright spot.
Overall: The 4, ever since Vince Edwards graduated, has been Purdue's weakest spot on the floor, which hurts as having a competent 4 is a huge bonus for Painter's scheme. Next year Purdue brings in two big men, Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman, both of whom can play the 4, and are very highly rated recruits (although one's more of a tweener 3/4 while the other is a tweener 4/5 from my understanding). So there's a chance that one of the true freshman starts most of next year, because neither Wheeler nor Gillis has shown a commanding ownership of the position thus far this year.
Shooting Guards / Wings:
Sasha Stefanovich: The RS Junior continues what he does best, splashing from deep. This year he's excised one of his biggest complaints from last year, a huge split between shooting percentage at home vs on the road. He leads the Big Ten in 3FG% and is 4th in made 3s per game. He has one of the quickest shooting releases I've ever seen, making him especially hard to guard coming off screens. He also shows a knack for drawing charges--likely leads the team. This year, much like Ryan Cline eventually developed, he's showing a little more "go to the rim" mentality. While it'll never be a huge part of his game, that teams need to respect it makes him even more dangerous. Grade: A - Does his job, does it better than anyone in the conference, and works defenses until they're exhausted trying to chase him around screens.
Brandon Newman: The RS Frosh sat out last year because apparently he'd never heard of defense, and Painter has changed that. He's a very good player now all over the court, with good length and athleticism, good shooting, and a reliable starter. He's had some absolute blow-up games, but also some games where he's disappeared. Grade: A- - All-around good player, and above expectations for a freshman.
Jaden Ivey: This true freshman is one of the most exciting players Purdue's had, with some of the fearlessness of Carsen Edwards in a much taller, longer, very athletic package. He's flashed really amazing ability to go to the rim, to finish through contact. He's done less well with his FT and his 3pt shooting, but as we saw against Ohio State, dude has ice in his veins as the clock starts winding down. His future is very bright. Grade: A - Has already shown an ability to bring things to the game FAR beyond what Purdue could ever expect out of a true frosh.
Overall: Very exciting position for the Boilermakers, but one that is probably a year away from being terrifying to the rest of the conference. They're growing up fast, though, and with guard play being incredibly important in March, this is a team that could show up at the right time and get farther in the tournament than they have any expectation to do.
Point Guards:
Eric Hunter Jr: I put him in the PG territory despite the fact that he's more of a SG. I do so because even though it's not his natural role, he's the team's best point guard. He plays the role out of necessity, but handles it well. Hunter is a decent 3 point shooter and opportunistic scorer, leads the team in assists, and is a surprisingly tenacious defender--also leads the team in steals. He's been a little up and down as a scorer, but he's steady enough all over the floor that he's second on the team in minutes per game. Grade: B+ - Scoring hasn't been as great as we'd like to see, and a few too many turnovers, but he's doing everything he needs to do to help this team at a position of need.
Isaiah Thompson: Sophomore and younger brother of PJ Thompson, Isaiah sadly seems to be in over his head at this point. Purdue fans were excited when he came in because he seemed like he could be a better version of PJ, who was very reliable, as he had a little more height and was more highly rated. But it hasn't really turned into production. He's slight, and doesn't really have the strength necessary at this level. He doesn't handle the press well bringing the ball up the court. He can shoot the three ball when left open, but he's not showing natural scoring ability--and doesn't have the toughness to go to the rim through contact. And his lack of strength hurts him on the defensive end. Grade: C- - He's good enough to get minutes, but as the natural PG still sits as Hunter's backup, with Ethan Morton potentially ready to jump him on the depth chart in the future.
Ethan Morton: True frosh, described by Painter as the best passer he's ever seen. Previous best passer Painter has had is Dakota Mathias, so this is high praise from Matt. He came into the season (also like Mathias as a frosh) recovering from a case of mono. His transition to the college game has not come naturally, so we don't really know what to make of him. In HS, he was a three-level scorer who was unselfish and would look for the opportunity to distribute. So far... We haven't seen it. I see him having a higher ceiling than Isaiah, and more naturally fit to the PG position than Hunter, but he's going to need some seasoning. I think if it weren't this COVID season, he very well may have redshirt this year. Grade: C - Still trying to find his feet and transition to the college game.
Overall: When your best player at a position isn't actually that a natural fit at that position, it's not a great sign. That said, EH Jr is a heck of a PG, and Matt Painter's motion offense doesn't require a PG in the mold of Cassius Winston to run. You need someone who can bring the ball up and initiate the offense--hence why Nojel Eastern was able to be our "PG" for 3 years. With Hunter, we're good enough at this position for 2020-21, but most Boiler fans are looking forward to Morton getting some time under his belt and taking over next year, allowing Hunter to be the backup PG while earning more minutes at SG where he's more naturally fit.
