Expectations still the same for Purdue without Zach Edey
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — Purdue knew they would 25 points and 12 rebounds from Zach Edey pretty much each and every night the last two seasons.
But now, Edey is gone.
Purdue is tasked with replacing the back-to-back National Player of the Year who helped them win back-to-back Big Ten regular season championships.
Last season, they came just one win away from winning the national championship.
However, despite losing Edey, Purdue still has the same expectations this season.
“I think it changes things for people outside of Purdue and kind of how they feel about us, but I don’t think it changes anything here,” Purdue junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn said. “We’re a winning program, we’re a stable program, and I think everybody here expects us to be just as good.”
While Purdue has not lost anyone with the production of Edey — he was the first player to win back-to-back National Player of the Year awards since Ralph Sampson in 1982 and 1983 — they have lost All-Big Ten and NBA quality talent and recovered.
After Purdue lost Jaden Ivey, who was taken fifth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, they won back-to-back Big Ten regular season championships. After they lost Caleb Swanigan, who won Big Ten Player of the Year in 2017, they won the Big Ten regular season championship two years later.
Now, Purdue looks for who their next star player will be, and head coach Matt Painter knows where that starts.
“I wouldn’t trade Braden Smith for anybody in the country, and so I think that’s a good place to start,” Painter said.
Smith was First Team All-Big Ten last season, averaging 12 points and 7.5 assists per game.
He’ll be joined in the backcourt by fellow junior Fletcher Loyer, who also averaged over double digits in points last season with 10.3.
The tandem will be the likely focal points of the team this season, and they have a lot of experience, playing and starting in every game since they’ve stepped foot on Purdue’s campus.
Purdue tips off their regular season at Mackey Arena on November 4 against Texas A&M-Corpus-Christi.