Boilermakers Country

Purdue Guard Braden Smith Among 4 Finalists for Naismith Player of the Year

Purdue junior guard Braden Smith is one of four players considered a finalist for the 2025 Naismith National Player of the Year.

Dustin Schutte

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) reacts after a basket
Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) reacts after a basket / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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Purdue junior guard Braden Smith is one of four finalists for the 2025 Naismith Men's College Player of the Year. The list of candidates was released on Tuesday.

Along with Smith, the other three finalists are Cooper Flagg (Duke), Johni Broome (Auburn) and Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida). All four players helped lead their teams to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

Smith was already named the 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year, marking the third straight year a player from Purdue has received the award. Zach Edey earned the honor in 2023 and 2024.

The Purdue guard was also named a first-team All-American.

Smith is having an incredible year for the Boilermakers in the 2024-25 campaign. The junior is averaging 16.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest. He eclipsed the 1,000-point and 500-rebound marks for his careet his season.

Smith also became Purdue's all-time assists leader during the year, passing Bruce Parkinson. He will have a chance to reach 1,000 career assists if he returns for the 2025-26 campaign.

Purdue has claimed the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year honor in each of the last two years with Edey winning in 2023 and 2024. Could Smith receive the award in 2025 and make it three straight for the Boilermakers?

Related stories on Purdue basketball

ODOM PRAISES PAINTER: Purdue football coach Barry Odom gave major praise to Matt Painter and the Boilermaker basketball team for reaching the Sweet 16 again in the NCAA Tournament. CLICK HERE

PURDUE SUCCESS IN NCAA TOURNAMENT: A narrative surrounding Purdue basketball and Matt Painter has proven to be completely false. The Boilers reach the Sweet 16 more often than they lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. CLICK HERE

ESPN RANKS PURDUE LOW: ESPN went through and ranked the remaining Sweet 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Purdue was listed near the bottom of the group. CLICK HERE

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Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

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