The Definitive Purdue Basketball 2024 Prospectus: Version 2.0

As the fall semester looms, so too does the start of Purdue’s run-up to the 2024-2025 season, its follow-up to its NCAA runner-up season of a few months ago.

This is our post-summer version of this prospectus — here’s Version 1.0 — incorporating all that came to light since last season concluded.

First, a look at those on scholarship …

PlayerYearProjected Position(s)Caleb FurstSeniorForward/CenterBraden Smith*JuniorPoint GuardFletcher Loyer*JuniorShooting Guard/WingTrey Kaufman-Renn*R-JuniorCenter/Power ForwardBrian WaddellR-JuniorWingCamden Heide*R-SophomoreForward/WingWill BergR-SophomoreCenterMyles Colvin*SophomoreWing/GuardGicarri HarrisFreshmanCombo Guard/WingCJ CoxFreshmanCombo GuardRaleigh BurgessFreshmanCenter/Power ForwardDaniel JacobsenFreshmanCenterJack BenterFreshmanShooting Guard/Wing* Best guess (at this point) starter; everything subject to change

THE PURDUE FRONTCOURT

The post-Zach Edey Era begins with moving parts.

One certainty: Trey Kaufman-Renn is now Purdue’s destination offensive option in the post, one of the cushiest jobs in college basketball and one that should lather Kaufman-Renn’s prior productivity in gasoline and light it aflame.

To put it more mildly, Kaufman-Renn has produced big-time on per-touch and per-minute bases at every turn in his first two seasons on the floor and now he will get the ball a lot more in an offense customized to suit him. In a minutes share capped by Mason Gillis’ presence and a usage share restricted by Zach Edey’s gravity, Kaufman-Renn averaged 11.3 points last year over 30 minutes, a reasonable projection for his minutes this season.

He has spent a good amount of time and energy this off-season improving his three-point shooting; if it proves to have paid off, Purdue may have the potential to play legitimate five-out offense — everyone on the floor being a threat — for the first time since Caleb Swanigan’s amazing sophomore season.

The junior’s priority-level role for Purdue won’t change based on his position, but there is some fluidity there, too.

The likeliest scenario seems to be that Kaufman-Renn starts at center, even though it would be a bit off-brand for Purdue to not have an Eiffel Tower in the paint. But Purdue has played inside-out bigs before at the 5 and with Kaufman-Renn’s offensive profile requiring space, center makes sense, as does the likelihood of him being a prime pick-and-roll option with Braden Smith, though Purdue may get creative and involve other positions in that sense.

The rub: Against certain opponents, does Purdue want TKR guarding 7-footers for 30 minutes, giving up size and absorbing wear-and-tear? Purdue does systematically double-team on post-ups but nevertheless, it would be a grind, especially against more physical and simply big frontcourts, on defense and on the glass, a crucial, crucial area for the Boilermakers this season.

In response, you might expect Purdue to again slide Kaufman-Renn out to forward at times to incorporate more size at center.

That would mean sophomore Will Berg, probably Purdue’s best-suited space-eating physical presence, or freshman Daniel Jacobsen, whose body may not be optimized quite yet, but his height, length and shot-blocking potential are one-of-one on this roster. (Purdue does not return much true rim protection from last season defensively; Edey kind of handled all that himself.)

Purdue is going to need one or the other or both to play an important role this season.

Meanwhile, things again change at the forward spot, where a reasonable assumption would be that wing Camden Heide becomes a prominent player as a smaller, more perimeter-oriented element in more four- or five-out configurations. His athleticism would be transformational vs. what Purdue has generally played with in the frontcourt in recent years. Further, his mobility on defense could make Purdue more interchangeable in switches and his shooting could check the required box of spacing the floor.

Heide playing a position normally manned by bigger, slower people could optimize Purdue a bit in transition offense and perhaps add an interesting option in ball-screen offense.

The theoretical downside would simply lie in rare instances where opponents are supremely big or have a handful of a low-post scorer at the 4, one such example being a Malik Reneau. But rebounding would be the single-biggest key for Heide — and everyone else around him — with such lineups.

There’s no overstating the need for this to be a really high-energy and aggressive rebounding team 1 through 5, with Edey and Gillis departed.

Back to the post … Purdue has veteran Caleb Furst back to slot into minutes at either center or power forward. Where he fits in in that regard remains to be determined, but he has shown flashes of real productivity throughout his career, but finished last season more or less outside the playing rotation. With the frontcourt in flux, here’s another chance for him to become a relied-upon asset.

Freshman Raleigh Burgess is a high-energy, inside-out big man who’ll be a key piece to future frontcourts. He’ll have an opportunity this fall to carve a niche, but Purdue will want to make sure it’s worth his time.

THE PURDUE BACKCOURT

So it’s Braden Smith‘s and Fletcher Loyer‘s collective time now. After two years with Edey, the two junior guards are Purdue’s foundation now, and a damn good one, Smith being arguably the top returning point guard in the country and Loyer one of the finest shooters.

Things change a bit for both of them without Edey, but reinvention is the heart of college basketball’s year-to-year churn, and both are too good for “different” to equate to “worse.”

The keys will be for Smith to have a wing man to pose a threat enough to open things for him, as Edey did last season, and for his competitive will to be something that raises those around him to something close to his level. For Loyer, the shots may come differently now, and he may need to be a bit more assertive at times, with more offensive burden to bear. Both players’ decision-making will be of paramount importance, obviously.

Freshmen Gicarri Harris and CJ Cox will both play meaty roles, Cox maybe being Purdue’s primary backup to Smith at point guard and Harris being a versatile piece who can play and guard 1 through 3.

Both seem to have competitiveness, maturity and physical strength on their side, both can shoot, and both are known for their seriousness about playing defense. Their play with be one of the non-negotiable keys to see the season, because Purdue doesn’t have great depth among true guards and won’t want to run Smith and Loyer into the ground.

THE PURDUE WINGS

Myles Colvin would seem slotted into the small forward/wing spot, which is as much a third guard as a forward.

TKR’s productivity will erupt by way of usage alone, but no one on this roster has a higher ceiling to make a move from one year to the next than Colvin, an immensely talented young player who exited last season much better and exponentially more substance-based than he began it. He can score, make shots, run the floor and leverage elite athleticism as well as anyone, but it’s the defensive end and on the glass where his success would need to lie. He took leaps in those regards during his freshman season, but there’s more to give and more minutes in which to give it.

If nothing else, Colvin should be much more of a featured offensive piece for Purdue. He’ll have the ball more, have more plays run for him, play more minutes and just bear more responsibility. He’ll be one of the Big Ten’s foremost breakout candidates because of it.

Heide will presumably still see work on the wing, as well, as he did last season.

After a knee injury his freshman season more or less derailed his career, junior wing Brian Waddell gets another opportunity to reset things and earn a depth role, perhaps covering more than one position. He Is steady, smart, athletic and versatile, but just has not been able to find much consistent momentum since his ACL injury two years ago, which quite clearly affected him physically and mentally.

Same for freshman wing/guard Jack Benter, another classic Purdue offensive skill type. He can really shoot, dribble, pass and think the game. Whether Purdue needs it now with Colvin, Heide and its other guards in the mix, there’s no telling.

The only roster change from our first edition of this prospectus is freshman Kanon Catchings falling off the map. He would probably have played a role at the 4 or 3 this season, but his best would have been more likely to come out in subsequent years at Purdue had he enrolled. He’s at BYU instead.

END-OF-SUMMER QUESTIONS AND KEYS

• Trey Kaufman-Renn’s decision-making. With great opportunity comes great responsibility, and now TKR becomes a critically important decision-maker and passer. Normally, he’s gotten post touches on an island, the floor totally spread out, affording him space to operate and room to maneuver, to play on his schedule, no one else’s. Now, people will throw defensive wrinkles at him, which he’ll need to identify and respond accordingly. His passing now comes to the forefront.

• Braden Smith and leadership: Purdue’s other real alpha personalities, Gillis and Edey, are gone and now Smith’s personality is sort of this team’s personality to a certain extent. Smith is an uncommon competitor, and again, that’s something Purdue would love to be contagious. Loyer and Kaufman-Renn will be important leaders, as well, as will others, but different types.

• Redshirts. Now becomes the time that derby starts playing out, but it’s all still to be determined in preseason practice later in the fall, not September workouts, which aren’t really all that different from summer.

The post The Definitive Purdue Basketball 2024 Prospectus: Version 2.0 appeared first on On3.