Now retooling after riding a generational scoring talent all the way to the doorstep of the Final Four last season, Purdue may have a process on its hands offensively to begin this season, which unofficially opens Friday night with an exhibition in Mackey Arena against Southern Indiana.
It will be a very different offense, and a very different approach, for Purdue from last season's Splash Brothers derivative, driven by Carsen Edwards' and Ryan Cline's combined ability to make three, to make difficult threes, and to make lots of them.
Now, Purdue's eyes turn inside again, to big men Matt Haarms and Trevion Williams as a starting point. A program that posted up more than 450 times two seasons ago, then barely more than 200 times last season, will again look to throw it down low, with a roster that's lost most of the players conditioned in recent years to feed the post.
"We should be a lot more inside-focused than we were last year," Haarms said. "Last year we were playing through how excellent our guards were and how excellent they were coming off screens and applying pressure that way. This year I think Coach Painter wants the focus to be much more about throwing the ball inside and playing from there. I really think we have the talent to do that. But throwing it into the post after a year where we didn't throw it inside as much, we're trying to get that going, get that chemistry built up. ... It's been going a lot better."
Purdue's big men will be the focal point, most likely, but playing through the post and playing through the posts, may prove to be two different things, because Purdue is intent to use both big men in a variety of ways.
Whereas last season Haarms was heavily involved in Purdue's offensive action as a dribble-handoff ball-handler and Williams a passer out of the post, now both should get more opportunities all over the floor, the low post, the high post, in pick-and-roll, whatever it may be.
"They have strengths inside and they have strengths outside," said associate head coach Micah Shrewsberry. "They're a big part of what we're going to do."
Below, a breakdown of some other elements and considerations for Purdue offensively heading into the season.
