{"id":74013,"date":"2024-10-30T00:45:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T05:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/purdues-freshman-guards-are-going-to-be-much-more-than-just-backups\/"},"modified":"2024-10-30T00:45:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T05:45:46","slug":"purdues-freshman-guards-are-going-to-be-much-more-than-just-backups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/purdues-freshman-guards-are-going-to-be-much-more-than-just-backups\/","title":{"rendered":"Purdue\u2019s freshman guards are going to be much more than just backups"},"content":{"rendered":"

In veterans Braden Smith<\/a><\/strong> and Fletcher Loyer<\/a><\/strong>, Purdue has one of the better and most proven and experienced backcourts in college basketball. That doesn\u2019t mean, however, that freshmen Gicarri Harris<\/a><\/strong> and CJ Cox<\/a><\/strong> are bound to simply be their understudies.<\/p>\n

Yes, the two freshmen represent virtually the entirety of the Boilermakers\u2019 backcourt depth \u2014 Purdue really only has four true guards among those in its projected rotation \u2014 but Harris and Cox won\u2019t just play behind Smith and Loyer, but with them, and in a way that complements the two juniors.<\/p>\n

\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

For instance, Harris started at Creighton \u2014 that figures to continue \u2014 not just because he\u2019s earned it during the summer and fall, but because of the way his value can fill in possible gaps in the existing backcourt. Playing to Harris\u2019 strength as an on-ball defender, Purdue mostly had him guarding, and pressuring, Creighton\u2019s primary ball-handlers, putting a bigger and more physical presence than Smith in that role and unburdening Smith to a certain extent of that often-exhausting task, all the more fuel for Smith to burn on offense. Cox was used the same way.<\/p>\n

Further, there will be opponents this season who pressure Purdue or scheme to blitz Smith to take the ball out of his hands, in which case the freshmen\u2019s extra-ball-handler value comes to the forefront.<\/p>\n

This was all precisely the value Lance Jones provided last season, though no freshman can reasonably be asked to do it at the same level as Purdue\u2019s final piece of the Final Four puzzle did a year ago.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019ll help. Ready or not.<\/p>\n

\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

There will be growing pains, but both players look ready, both of them physically mature, seemingly level-headed and hardened competitively by their backgrounds in Atlanta and Boston, respectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpark\u201d is a term that could be used often this season around the two rookies.<\/p>\n

Defensively, mainly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBringing defensive intensity onto the court at all times,\u201d Harris said, \u201cbeing somebody that can pick up full court, do dirty work and stuff like that. That\u2019s No. 1 for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Same for Cox, who twice stripped Creighton guards for steals on Saturday night, consummate \u201cspark\u201d plays.<\/p>\n

But as assistant coach Paul Lusk said Tuesday, both players\u2019 impacts may be felt beyond defense.<\/p>\n

Cox has already shown a scorer\u2019s edge, particularly effective shooting pull-up jumpers off ball screens, same as Smith. Harris was very active as a rebounder at Creighton and figures to be both a respectable spot-up three-point shooter and a player who can generate offense off defense. Had Purdue fared better defensively at Creighton, that might have been more evident.<\/p>\n

The two rookies\u2019 worth will really come to the forefront quickly, perhaps as soon as Wednesday night, when Purdue hosts Grand Valley State for its second and final exhibition game. It will be both players\u2019 first time in Mackey Arena for an actual game, as the timelines of both their recruitments \u2014 and distance \u2014 barred them from being in the building on game nights as recruits.<\/p>\n

The post Purdue\u2019s freshman guards are going to be much more than just backups<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In veterans Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, Purdue has one of the better and most…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74013\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}