Upon Further Review: Purdue's exhibition vs Grace College

Following each Purdue basketball game this season — or at least most — GoldandBlack.com will take a closer look back at some finer points in our long-standing Upon Further Review series. Today, the Boilermakers’ 98-51 exhibition win over Grace College.

ZACH EDEY POST TOUCHES

I’ll ask around some to see if I’m imagining this or not, but it sure looked to me like Zach Edey’s post touches were coming a bit further out. Why, I don’t know, but it seemed intentional. Maybe to reate space underneath him; when Edey draws doubles, the 4 man generally dives to the rim, so space matters. Maybe, I don’t know.

But the other part of this is here’s guessing that the NBA process might have helped with Joel Embiid footwork stuff. These step-throughs with that little stutter step are pretty nasty — just watch that elbow when Izzo is owed some calls later this season — and that length on those finishes is unmatched.

THE NEW GUYS AND OFFENSE

Purdue not only got Camden Heide and Myles Colvin minutes, but opportunities/shots, notably on baseline out-of-bounds plays, one of the Boilermakers’ offensive strong suits in recent years.

Colvin, here, gets the curl off the screen in the corner, an offensive staple for Purdue.

Heide gets the staggered screens off the baseline, a role normally reserved for Purdue’s deadliest shooters. Sasha Stefanovic can teach a masters level class on this play. Interesting that Heide didn’t really come off that Edey screen looking to shoot, but made it anyway. Experience will smooth things out.

It does tell you what Purdue thinks about both these dudes as shooters — on-the-move, off-the-catch shooters — that it’s working them in on often-critical stuff like this.

PURDUE’S DEFENSIVE

Purdue gave up a number of back-cut layups. but did course-correct to some extent and start making back-end plays. Heide and Colvin made neat blocks and Lance Jones nabbed a nice steal rolling to the rim in help.

But Purdue is emphasizing ball pressure as a means to be more disruptive and here are a couple examples of Boilermakers adhering to Matt Painter’s years-long directive to respond to “blood in the water” and really press when Grace was fumbling around.

(As has been a trend through two exhibitions for Purdue, no good deed has gone unpunished. Seemingly every time Purdue got a deflection at Arkansas, Arkansas wound up scoring. These two plays, Grace scored on both.)

Here’s Edey working his guy over after he picks up his dribble.

Now, Mason Gillis.

Purdue would obviously like to force more turnovers this season and seems to be doing some positive things toward that goal. It’s just not getting bounces or finishing the job right now.

Otherwise, Purdue’s transition defense left much to be desired vs. Grace College, relative to the opponent, not just true fast-break stuff, but also some possessions where it was caught discombobulated.

I don’t know if this is a mess-up, per se, because Grace’s big guy can shoot, so Braden Smith was right to go after him, but nevertheless Purdue winds up with Smith on a big here and Edey on a not-so-big.

One other nit-pick: With Trey Kaufman-Renn now playing some 4, part of his job defensively is going to be to post double. To placate any former Purdue forwards’ families who might still be reading this who thought I hated their kid for pointing this stuff out, these double teams have to be more impactful, more physical, more disruptive, all of it. TKR is caught uncertain between doubling the post and accoiunting for his man on the cut to the basket. (Lance Jones seems to have accounted for the dive in help. Good on him.) Again, experience matters.

MISC

• Mason Gillis‘ baseball background put to good use …

• Might be nothing, but this looked new to me from the Arkansas game, this little wrinkle when Zach Edey and Braden Smith are in pick and roll. You see Fletcher Loyer setting a back screen on Edey’s man. Grace has half its team between Edey and the rim, but this is the sort of thing that down the line that could create some back-end confusion or open up lobs to Edey if Smith can get free to make the pass.

• Tell me this isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, this gentle (perhaps terrified) tag-you’re-it screen the guard from Grace sets on Zach Edey here.