WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue basketball has a problem under center.
But it’s not what you might think.
Yes, the Boilermakers lost Zach Edey, the two-time consensus National Player of the Year and the program’s all-time scoring and rebounding leader, who will soon be a first-round NBA Draft pick.
But with Trey Kaufman-Renn, Caleb Furst, Will Berg, Daniel Jacobsen and Raleigh Burgess, coach Matt Painter has plenty of interchangeable four- and five-hybrids. Add in the potential for Cam Heide to play a fastball four and there are plenty of options.
“That, from a skills standpoint, probably stretches us more,” Painter said. “That’s what excites me. Those guys have those kinds of opportunities, but we also have the opportunity to do different things.”
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It remains to be seen how Purdue utilizes — or doesn’t — its depth at the position.
But while the Boilermakers couldn’t afford to be without Edey last season, they must now learn to adapt without him.
And that may allow others to show strengths where they were limited due to Edey’s high usage rate the past two seasons.
“I feel like if I had gotten twice as many touches as last year, triple the touches right there, I would have been one of the top scorers on the team, with respect and honesty,” Kaufman said. -Renn, who started all 39 games last season alongside Edey in the position. “But we had an incredible team. I’m proud of the roles I’ve been given, but this year I have to step up and take advantage of as many shots as I’m going to take.”
Kaufman-Renn prefers to work in space, something that wasn’t often allowed with Edey on the court at the same time for the majority of Kaufman-Renn’s minutes last season.
However, the attention Edey attracted allowed Kaufman-Renn to have one-on-one matchups, which may not be the case in the future.
But …
Berg is 7 feet 2 inches tall. Last month, Edey credited Berg for his development over the past two seasons, having faced the Swedish big man daily in training.
This may have benefited Berg even more than Edey.
“I felt a part of it, in practice every day pushing Trey and Zach,” Berg said. “I hope I pushed hard enough for them to see what I brought to them in terms of improvement as well. It’s definitely been a tough last two years, but it prepared me well for whatever comes next.”
Furst was a starter during the 2022-23 season as a position alongside Edey. Last season, Furst became the No. 2 center on the depth chart, replacing Edey as Purdue’s lineup shifted to a more offensive foundation.
Now, consider versatile freshmen Burgess (6-foot-10) and Jacobsen (7-3).
Jacobsen just helped lead the US U18 team to a gold medal at the FIBA Americup in Argentina two weeks ago.
Edey is irreplaceable.
Don’t confuse Purdue’s wealth of talent with the fact that the Boilermakers won’t miss the best player in college basketball.
But those expecting a drastic drop because Edey is gone will probably be wrong.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
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