Boiler Banter: We're Beginning to See the Best Version of Braden Smith
Matt Painter may have unlocked a new cheat code in college basketball. The Purdue coach has urged junior guard Braden Smith to start finding his shot on the court, and the Boilermakers have reaped the rewards over the last three games.
Smith has taken at least 16 shots in each of Purdue's last three games, knocking down 49.1% of his attempts. He's averaging 25.3 points per game, leading the Boilermakers to wins over Toledo (83-64), Minnesota (81-61) and Northwestern (79-61).
It's hard to believe Painter and his staff have had to urge Smith to find his shot, isn't it? Usually, a college basketball player's dream is to have the green light from his coach. But the junior guard is wired a little differently.
"I've got a lot of guys back here that trust me, so I think it makes me feel a little bit better about it," Smith said after scoring 34 points against Toledo. "Trust me, I don't like taking 22 shots. I felt bad, like, 'Dang, I shot a lot.'"
Through his first two seasons at Purdue, Smith was highly regarded for his passing skills. He averaged 4.4 assists as a freshman during the 2022-23 season and dished out 7.5 dimes per contest last year. Through the Boilers' first 15 games this year, the guard is averaging 8.6 assists per game.
In Sunday's win over Northwestern, he passed Brian Walker for second on Purdue's all-time assist leaderboard. He's on pace to become the program's all-time leader by the end of his career.
Smith's elite passing skill has been an asset for Purdue for the last two-plus years. But his ability to score might be a game-changer for the Boilermakers as they pursue a third consecutive Big Ten regular season championship.
"For him, it all starts with him being hungry and shooting," Painter said after Sunday's win over Northwestern. "When he dribbles down and shoots, or he doesn't pass and shoot in those situations — we encourage that. We think those are high-percentage shots."
Hunting for more shots hasn't hindered the other aspects of his game. In addition to the 25.3 points per game average, Smith is also dishing out 9.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest. Those averages were enough to land him Big Ten Player of the Week on Jan. 6 — surprisingly, the first time he's received the honor in his career.
There's little doubt that Purdue has looked better in the last three games when Smith has been more aggressive offensively. He gives the Boilermakers another high-volume scoring threat while also opening up opportunities for his teammates on the floor.
Coming into the season, Smith was selected as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. He's been stellar all season, yet somehow even better in the last three games. It feels like we're just beginning to see the very best out of Purdue's junior guard.
That has to be a frightening thought to the rest of the Big Ten.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
SMITH NAMED BIG TEN POTW: Braden Smith was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Jan. 6, after leading Purdue to blowout wins over Minnesota and Northwestern. CLICK HERE
WHAT PAINTER SAID: No. 20 Purdue defeated Northwestern 79-61, getting another big outing from Braden Smith. Here's what coach Matt Painter said after the win. CLICK HERE
BIG TEN BASKETBALL POWER RANKINGS: Illinois picked up two big road wins vs. Oregon and Washington, Nebraska takes down UCLA and Indiana gets a victory over Penn State. How did it impact the latest Big Ten basketball power rankings? CLICK HERE
