Things change next season for most every returnee on Purdue's basketball team, Ethan Morton as much as anyone.

Now an upperclassmen, the junior meets an opportunity to expand his critical situational productivity of a year ago over what should be an exponentially expanded role.

Perhaps a more focused role, or perhaps not.

To this point in his Boilermaker career, Morton has played 1 through 4, though his bout with mono as a freshman cost him what might have been a meaningful role immediately at the 4. Last season he was a key offensive piece fitting in around Purdue's other high-gravity players, fitting in as a ball-mover and opportunistic spot-up shooter. And on defense, Morton took on a wide variety of matchups last season on an as-needed basis, basically on the fly, and handled that role splendidly.

Now, does Morton's little-of-everything identity give way to him slotting into a more constant job description on his new-look Boilermaker team? With Jaden Ivey and Sasha Stefanovic gone, those are two 30-plus-minute vacancies at positions Morton can play primarily.

"Ever since I've been here, I've never really played in one spot," Morton said toward the beginning of summer workouts. "I've always bounced around. There's not really a super-high comfort level with every spot, but I feel good about every spot and it's only going to get better. I'm looking to make every spot comfortable."

Even though Purdue could have reason to put Morton at a certain position and leave him there, allowing him to grow into a defined spot for really the first time, it does have considerable incentive to continue moving him around.

For one thing, Morton figures to be Purdue's best wing defender this season — it would be a very positive development for Purdue if anyone else even winds up in that conversation — and perhaps that means he moves around the lineup some to match up, not that players necessarily have to play the position they're guarding.

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Second, Purdue may have gaps to fill again.

The Boilermakers do have questions at point guard, for example, with a freshman (Braden Smith) and a veteran (David Jenkins Jr.) who has never really played the position at this level.

Morton has long understood the challenges that would come with him playing point guard at this level, especially defensively, and the enormous difference between the position now and the position he played for his high school, but he may be pressed into duty there.

"However you can get on the court," he said, "I'm going to be happy with it."

Morton's freshman year, he was being prepped to carry minutes at the 4, a plan that got blown up by the preseason Illness that marred his entire season. That position is the last of Purdue's depth worries now, with Mason Gillis and Caleb Furst back and Trey Kaufman-Renn coming out of redshirt, but there might be something to be said for Purdue looking at it again as a mechanism to get an extra ball-handler and a more mobile lineup on the floor when needed. That remains to be seen.

Wherever Morton's minutes come from, the nature of those minutes may change. Matt Painter's always told players to not change when their roles go from one level to another, a challenge some have struggled with at times, but there's no way around Purdue needing just more from everyone this season.

"Guys who are great in their roles, a lot of times they can do a lot more than what's asked of them, but on their team, they just have to do what's asked of them." Morton said. "I'm excited but I have to show my teammates and coaches that I can be a lot more than I was last year. High school's so different, but (now it's) just making plays for guys on a consistent basis, being aggressive and getting to the basket, getting to my pull-up more and continuing to shoot the ball at a high level. There's going to be more volume hopefully, so I'm adjusting to that.

"It's just about not being afraid to make plays and make mistakes."

Whether he's Purdue's point guard or not, he figures to be one of the Boilermakers' more important ball-handlers, decision-makers and post-entry men.

Defensively, though, Morton may have an even bigger chance to be part of Purdue's solution.

"For us to go where we want to go, we're going to have to be great defensively, because we're probably not going to have that same punch, at least not right away, offensively, without a lot of explosiveness and starpower," Morton said. "It'll be a bit of a different build for our team, but nothing (Matt Painter) and these guys haven't built here before."

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