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Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/200613
GRADING THE BOILERMAKERS OFFENSE: Purdue still has to prove it, but on both paper and the practice floor, it's shown all the makings of what should be a far more effective, far more well-rounded array of scoring threats. Few teams in college basketball have one legitimate low-post scoring threat, which Purdue has with A.J. Hammons, let alone two, which the Boilermakers will have if Jay Simpson lives up to his billing. Ronnie Johnson could be a budding star at point guard, leading a backcourt mix that would seem well-balanced and versatile, with some accomplished shooters coming in and a variety of guards who can get to the basket. Questions persist, though. Purdue will rely a great deal on newcomers. Its returnees must show improvement over last season. Purdue has to show it can make an open shot, especially important now that it hopes to generate so much offense from the interior. And this team mustn't continue to undermine itself at the foul line. The pieces would seem to be in place; they just have to come together. Grade: B DEFENSE: With a deeper, bigger and more athletic corps of guards and wings and the Big Ten's top shot-blocker in Hammons, Purdue should be a much improved defensive team, but with nowhere to go but up by its standards. The Boilermakers are enthusiastic about their options at point guard from a defensive standpoint and believe some low-motor personalities have been replaced by the opposite. But after Purdue has completely let its long-standing defensive identity slip the past few seasons … let's see it. Again, the pieces are there, but unproven. Grade: C+ 14 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 2 REBOUNDING: There's no reason to think Hammons shouldn't rank among the Big Ten's top rebounders this season, and the prospect of Purdue playing him and Simpson side-by-side at times this season is intriguing. But the issue for Purdue on the boards isn't size; it's effort. Its big men have to want to rebound, or at least want to throw their bodies around enough to generate rebounding opportunities for the guards and wings. Grade: B DEPTH: Time will tell. Purdue believes its depth has improved tenfold, but before a game has been played, there's still a measure of hope involved. The newcomers have to prove they are ready to play for the Boilermakers' perceived depth to materialize. But even in the worst-case scenario, Purdue's in a better place than it was a year ago, especially in the backcourt, where it now at least has options. And in Hammons and Simpson, Purdue has two big, skilled centers. How many teams have one? Grade: B INTANGIBLES: Experience on its own makes Purdue better. How can it not? Last year's freshmen have nowhere to go but up in that sense. Handling hard times will be a key indicator of this group's maturation. Last year, Purdue set foot on a slippery slope every time things didn't go its way and fell more often than not. But Purdue is breaking in five new guys and a redshirt freshman so there could still be some choppiness early. The Boilermakers have been a poor foul-shooting team the past two seasons. That has to stop if this team's going to win the close games it lost last season. How do new rules against hand-checking and charge/ block calls affect Purdue? They would seem likely to directly impact teams that defend the way Painter wants his teams to, but could also help the Boilermakers' interior scorers and slashers. Grade: C — Brian Neubert f