Purdue Preseason Player Prospectus: Brian Waddell

During the run-up to the Sept. 26 start of formal preseason practice in advance of the 2023-2024 college basketball season, GoldandBlack.com is taking an in-depth and analytical look at each of the Boilermakers’ expected rotation players.

In today’s Purdue Preseason Player Prospectus, sophomore Brian Waddell.

Prior Previews: Zach Edey | Caleb Furst | Trey Kaufman-Renn | Mason Gillis | Camden Heide

ABOUT BRIAN WADDELL

The third-year sophomore has long been held in high regard around Purdue’s program, but a freshman season ACL injury set him back considerably and bled into last season. After he was part of Purdue’s playing rotation to open the season, it was determined he just wasn’t ready physically for Big Ten basketball, and he fell out of said rotation. Re-establishing confidence in his knee has been an on-going process as well.

However, the 6-foot-8, 190-ish-pound Waddell now gets a reset. He’s fully healthy, by every account. While he won’t soon be LeBron James physically, he’s made progress in that regard. He won’t overpower anyone, but likely won’t be overpowered the way he might have been last season.

It is important context to note that when Waddell got to Purdue, his single-biggest need was to develop his body, build strength, etc. For that reason, Matt Painter took him with a redshirt season as a given.

Now, there’s no making up for lost time, but Waddell looked this summer to be back on track. He was excellent in practice and solid in Europe, reminding of the substance and simplicity that made such a strong impression his freshman season, pre-injury.

“He just affects winning,” Coach Matt Painter says of Waddell.

WADDELL’S PROJECTED ROLE

Here’s where questions exist. While Waddell profiles as the sort of player Painter often defaults to due to reliability and trust and skill, his positional category has transformed. A true small forward, Waddell now shares a position with promising (and physically advanced) newcomers Myles Colvin and Camden Heide, as well as veteran Ethan Morton and, at times, third-guard Lance Jones.

A lot of years, such a glut would push a Waddell, Colvin or Heide into a part-time stretch-4, four-out-offense sort of role, but this may not be one of those years because of Trey Kaufman-Renn‘s emergence and Mason Gillis‘ experience and intangibles and Caleb Furst‘s presence at both forward and center.

That said, again, Waddell’s potential value carries more weight at Purdue than it would at a lot of other places, because his identity as a player aligns so well with Painter. If he is up to the job physically, he’s the sort of player Painter would have a hard time not playing.

WADDELL’S ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

The biggest, perhaps only, issue that matters is the physicality part. Waddell wasn’t ready to compete in that sense last season, but Painter gave him opportunities to ease back into things and gain experience. That should buoy him now.

Consistency from three-point range will be important, but otherwise Waddell is fairly basketball mature for his age — smart, savvy, attentive and polished. He can handle the ball. He is sound defensively (again, when he can hold up physically), an excellent passer and effective off the dribble. He is long, tall and more athletic than people probably realize.

Point is, he is advanced.

Throw out what you saw from Waddell during his 17 appearances last season. He didn’t have his legs under him, didn’t have his confidence and just wasn’t ready.

WADDELL’S KEYS TO SUCCESS

• Health and confidence: Deal-breakers, both of them.

• Physicality: Again, he will have to prove to Purdue, and perhaps to himself, that he can compete with bigger, stronger people.

• Threes. Purdue needs all these perimeter guys to be credible enough from three to burn the extra attention others will demand.

• Decision-making. When your non-guards can handle, pass and make decisions, that’s a big-time advantage, particularly when a team will look for run-outs they way Purdue likely will this season.

• Assertiveness. Waddell is not the most overt individual, be it as a personality or a player. This may come along with the confidence part of it, but when he is on the floor his chances to make subtle impact will be many, but those are moments he’ll need to seize, same as everybody else would.