For all the deficiencies this year’s Purdue team has discovered in itself since it began exploring life without Zach Edey, lately it has stumbled upon one big, new, non-deficiency: These Boilers cause chaos.
It’s something opponents haven’t had to worry about in recent seasons. But now you have Braden Smith taking the ball on defense when for so long he’s dominated it on offense – he has multiple steals in seven of his last eight games. Also new is Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn badgering big men far from the basket, after years of Edey’s tree-trunk frame waiting for them in the paint.
In the last four games, all against Big Ten opponents, Purdue is forcing more than 13 turnovers a night. That’s nice on its own. But the competition these Boilers are doing it against amplifies the accomplishment; the group of opponents averages 10.9, and three of the four are in the Big Ten’s top third at keeping the ball.
What’s more is that Purdue hasn’t become a gambling team; it’s near average at avoiding turnovers on offense. The result is that, for just the fourth time since 2013, the Boilermakers are taking the ball away more often than they give it up on a per-possession basis. It’s given them wins of 20, 18, 18 and Sunday’s 36-point cork on the campaign bottle clobbering of Nebraska, and landed them right back in the crowded inner circle of the Big Ten.
The advent of Purdue’s new way of dominating coincides with a new lineup. The change came after the team went flat at the tail end of non-conference play, with losses to No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 2 Auburn and even a rather unemphatic 19-point win over the meekest opposition on its schedule in Toledo.
“Through the Toledo game, I just didn't think we were very tough,” head coach Matt Painter said Sunday. “And I didn't think we were quick to the ball.
At Minnesota, the game after Toledo, Purdue started freshman guard C.J. Cox and senior forward Furst for the first time all season, replacing sophomore wings Cam Heide and Myles Colvin.
“It's one of those things where you don't know if it's always going to work,” Painter said. “But it just seems like, ‘Hey, we got to make a change here.’”
So far, suffice to say, it’s worked. It’s the second lineup shakeup Purdue’s had since freshman center Daniel Jacobsen’s season-ending tibia fracture hurled a wrench at Painter’s original vision for his team. The first change was Colvin and Heide's elevation from bench to starter status. It’s a meaningless status, Painter assures: “We have more than five starters," to mean Purdue has as many as 10 players good enough to start, and only five spots to put them.
Therein lies the need for experimentation. The summer and fall is always a period of jostling among Purdue’s depth, with this year’s battles fought below the triumvirate of point guard Smith, center Kaufman-Renn and guard Fletcher Loyer.
In offseason practices, Painter would keep those three on the A-team and rotate two others in with them. Those two would often look great, right up until they were shifted to the B-team.
“Everybody needed to start with those three guys,” Painter said. So far this season, seven players have.
But the results of the latest two, Cox and Furst, are hard to argue with. Purdue didn’t win four-straight conference games by 18 points or more on its way to a consecutive Big Ten title and eventual National Championship game appearance last season – it didn’t even win two games in a row like that.
The defensive improvement has been remarkable, with the Boilers going from 82nd in opponent-adjusted defense before the change to 32nd since, per Barttorvik.
It’s simple for Smith, as most things on the basketball court are.
“Just us really paying attention to the scouting report and understanding their offense,” Smith said. “Just using my instincts.”
Smith’s 2.1 steal average, third in the Big Ten, wouldn’t be possible without Cox’s tight on-ball defense on the other side of the perimeter, or the injection of physicality Furst provides that harries opposing big men into poor choices – “There's a lot of bigs out there that can't dribble and pass the basketball all in the same motion,” Painter said.
“They’re great on-ball defenders,” Smith said of Cox and fellow guard Gicarri Harris. “So they kind of let me catch my breath defensively. I know that's’ not a good thing to say,” he laughs. “I get yelled at for it because I gamble a lot.”
Lately, Smith’s gambles have been paying off, but that won’t stop him from looking for improvement. Even amid the team’s defensive renaissance, Smith can be picky.
“I think we’re doing a better job swiping on drives, getting a lot of deflections,” he said. “I think if we box out, and do a better job of that, we can get into transition more. We’re still giving up a good amount of offensive rebounds. Hopefully clean that up, I think we’ll be a lot better.”
The same analytics site that says Purdue has been the 32nd-best defense since it switched its starting lineup also says it’s been the third-best team in the country in the same span.
The Big Ten may not be ready for Purdue to fulfill Smith’s prescription.
