Prospectus 2.0: Purdue 2020-2021

Since the end of the season, the complexion of Purdue's 2020-2021 team has changed considerably, as both of its seniors-to-be, Matt Haarms and Nojel Eastern, have transferred out, leaving the Boilermakers without a senior class next season, barring any single-season summer additions.

In light of the changes, here's our amended prospectus looking ahead to next season.

Trevion Williams is Purdue's anchor, particularly at the offensive end and in the rebounding column.

By most measures, Williams was very good this season, averaging team-bests of 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds, and serving much of the season essentially as Purdue's go-to guy. No one will dispute, though, that he was capable of even more.

It's important to note that he was just a true sophomore this season, and his ability level suggests he has a chance to go from good to very good, maybe even great, over the course of the next few months. He made comments late in the season that suggested an awareness that he needs to be more aggressive, more relentless, more consistent and improve at the foul line. That's his path to taking his game to another level.

But Williams could be one of the better low-post scorers in college basketball next season, one of its best rebounders and one of its best passers out of the post. That may sound like a mouthful given his relatively modest numbers this season, but Purdue's seen such jumps from one year to the next before and Williams has proven himself capable of big things.

With Haarms gone, Purdue has questions at center for the first time in years. A position where the Boilermakers have been filthy rich for some time now, there are questions.

Sophomore Emmanuel Dowuona and incoming freshman Zach Edey are true centers, but obviously one is barely experienced and the other entirely inexperienced at the college levels. Both came/come to Purdue with limited background in high-level basketball, relative to their peers at least, and should probably be considered raw still.

Now comes an opportunity for one or the other or both, probably ahead of schedule relative to what could have been expected when they signed with the Boilermakers.

Dowuona, at the very least, is a big, strong and athletic presence whose skill set jibes best at this point with rim-protection and rebounding.

Edey is simply massive, almost Isaac Haas big.

Though the transfer market Is picked over at this point and there are significant constraints in place — Purdue could only take an immediately eligible, one-year player who'd have to be recruited during a pandemic — it's not yet outside the realm of possibility the Boilermakers could add a center or forward or combination thereof to next season's roster.

One thing is for certain: Minutes are going to be hotly contested for Purdue in its backcourt.

The Boilermakers return all but Jahaad Proctor among the guards who played significant roles this season, and of those who return, Eric Hunter and Sasha Stefanovic are now amply experienced upperclassmen hoping to take over leadership roles and Isaiah Thompson no longer a greenhorn.

All three should show the benefits of seasoning, whether it's in terms of their carrying out of offense or awareness and savvy getting the ball inside. Purdue struggled to score this season, and guard play was no small part of it, but all three did positive things this season.

Hunter was Purdue's second-leading scorer, its leader in assists and a pleasant surprise defensively.

Stefanovic shot 38.3 percent from three-point range, shot a couple opponents straight out of Mackey Arena, won at least two games for Purdue with clutch threes (Minnesota and at Northwestern) and by the end of the season was commanding significant respect from defenses.

Thompson was a 36-percent three-point shooter — 40 percent over the season's final dozen games — and made a number of big shots on the road. He gave Purdue a little bit of scoring off the bounce and a bit of an extra gear in the open floor.

Again, the benefits of experience should be evident in all three.

If they're not, nothing is promised.

Jaden Ivey and Ethan Morton are two of the finest guard prospects Matt Painter has signed in his decade-and-a-half coaching his alma mater. Together, the pair of incoming freshmen are easily the best pair of guards Purdue's welcomed in the same recruiting class under Painter.

And both bring skill sets that line up well with existing needs.

For a team that struggled to score this season, the backcourt very much included, Ivey is a scorer, a well-rounded offensive player who's been known to play with an urgency offensively that could really matter for Purdue as early as next season. He's proven at pre-college levels to be a player who can get his own shot, who's very good using ball screens to penetrate, who's outstanding at the rim, and dynamic in the open floor.

How quickly that all translates to the college level remains to be seen.

This past year's team wasn't Painter's best passing team.

Morton may be the best passer he's ever recruited, right up there with Dakota Mathias, Ryan Cline, Lewis Jackson, etc.

The 6-foot-5ish guard is renowned for his basketball IQ, intelligence and composure, which all could enhance his chances to carry a prominent role right away.

Brandon Newman will be Purdue's most physically imposing true guard next season and could give the Boilermakers another perimeter shooting threat. Purdue expects effort to be no issue for the redshirt freshman, and he's always been considered a solid prospect defensively, in part because of his strength, and in part because of his competitiveness. Here's guessing he is particularly eager to get on the floor.

Purdue obviously would like to be more consistent in this area of the game, but also more balanced, and with Eastern gone, the Boilermakers' chances to spread the floor with all their lineups increases.

By the middle of the season, opponents had ID'd Stefanovic as a pressure point for Purdue, a marked man who if slowed down or stopped altogether would limit Purdue considerably. They treated him accordingly, and at times, Stefanovic played off it effectively, getting to the basket, or setting up teammates for shots.

But it would have helped Purdue to present more consistent threats otherwise, and though Eric Hunter shot well for the season, he did so as more of a spot-up, catch-and-shoot-type as opposed to the sort of weapon the Boilermakers would run offense for, with some exceptions.

There's a bit of a difference — particularly for Purdue within its offensive designs — between effective shooters and effective shooters on the move, the latter being the type Purdue may call more plays for, as it did so often for Stefanovic.

Thompson could be one of those players next season. Many of his threes this season came in transition — he was very good from the wings — or spot-up opportunities in halfcourt offense. Again, experience should benefit him, as should a full — or whatever full can mean this particular year — off-season. Thompson's potential offensively is intriguing because of his shooting acumen combined with his quickness and potential to play off closeouts using the dribble.

The newcomers will make an impact.

Newman was regarded as one of the best long-range shooters in his class nationally. He may be akin to Stefanovic in terms of giving Purdue another true off-the-ball shooter. It's always an adjustment for young shooters learning how to use screens, run plays, etc., but he has had the redshirt year to learn such things.

Ivey's release is a bit unconventional, but his outcomes as a three-point shooter have been good and his release notably quick. He's shown at prior levels he can pull up in ball screens and let it fly, and like Thompson, he possesses the ability to go past people who close out on him. His combination of quickness and size and speed will be one of a kind on Purdue's roster next season. Between Hunter, Thompson and Ivey, Purdue's pull-up shooting may be solid next season.

Morton will likely be a low-volume offensive player as a Boilermaker. That's sort of the nature of his makeup. But he has shown he can make open threes and threes off the dribble in high school, potentially adding another layer to a more well-rounded shooting arsenal for Purdue.

Additionally, the forward spot/4 can be a very important floor-stretching position offensively, and if Nojel Eastern plays more there, that may not necessarily materialize, but there are other options, too.

Aaron Wheeler struggled badly as a sophomore, but will have a chance next season to rebrand this past season as a fluke. He's shown he can make shots. And in high school redshirt freshman Mason Gillis was a good shooter relative to his position as a post player and impressed during his redshirt season with his shooting.

Purdue would obviously prefer to be able to stretch the floor from the 4 position, which it could do with Evan Boudreaux, but might not have had Eastern returned and played that position, which he'd likely have. Wheeler and Gillis will be important in terms of that offensive dynamic.

From a simple personnel perspective, this is where Purdue probably takes its biggest hit, losing each of its top two defensive players.

Of the two, Eastern is probably the bigger loss, because Haarms being on the floor would mean that Purdue's best player, Williams, isn't. Eastern was an elite perimeter defender for the Boilermakers and quite a luxury at that end of the floor. Haarms, though, was a defensive force when healthy and a counterbalance to Williams' limitations at this stage of his career.

Anyway, both will be missed on defense, and Purdue is left with a roster of players many of which remain unproven, shall we say, at the defensive end. Clearly, Purdue could use a productive offseason and significant individual improvement across the board.

The center position matters so much in team defense nowadays, and that's one more area where Williams' progress matters so much for Purdue next season, but he's far from the only Boilermaker who could stand to take a step forward.

Compounding matters is the fact that Purdue's freshmen likely won't experience a normal summer. Purdue is already out Its exhibition trip overseas this summer, and there's no telling what its ability to conduct summer practices will look like. All that looms large in a team's newcomers acclimating to college defense.

Williams can be one of the best rebounders in the game. He just led a Big Ten full of great big men in offensive rebounding as a sophomore. A double-digit-average rebounding season is within his reach.

Purdue will absolutely miss Evan Boudreaux's motor on the glass. It was crucial during the back half of this season. Expecting Gillis to replace it is asking too much, but he does come with a reputation for his energy and tenacity on the glass, similar to Boudreaux.

Offensive rebounding has been such a big deal for Purdue the past two season and in the best-case scenario that continues, carried by Williams and perhaps Gillis. Eastern may be missed on this front, also.

Leadership wasn't Purdue's strength last season and that didn't reflect well on the two seniors-to-be who've left. They were the Boilermakers' captains and most-experienced players in the program.

Now, Purdue would like to see some of last season's young players — or this year's young players — take the reins, akin to 2014, when Rapheal Davis' leadership and that season's freshmen's maturity helped Purdue get right after a couple disappointing seasons.

An onus may be on juniors Trevion Williams, Eric Hunter, Sasha Stefanovic and Aaron Wheeler now in that regard, though Purdue has some promising players from a leadership perspective debuting.

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