Offensive Player Profile: Braden Smith
- Sam Bourne
- Oct 13, 2023
- 3 min read
Braden Smith and Zach Edey form one of the most surprising, yet valuable duo in all of college basketball. Both players were ranked outside the top 100 in their recruiting class (Smith at No. 196 and Edey at No. 436) with very little expectations coming into Purdue. This duo led Purdue to a 29-6 record, winning two Big Ten championships in Smith's freshman year, with Smith's play being critical during key moments throughout the year. Out-dueling Big East player of the year Tyler Kolek, putting Purdue on the map with their performance in the PK85 tournament, and his best performance ousting Iowa during conference play. So let's take a deeper look into Smith's offensive game and what makes him so valuable at the point guard position.
To describe Smith's strengths, you have to start with his passing ability. At six-foot, Smith still has every pass in his bag, punishing defenses in a variety of ways. This ability combined with his passing creativity and vision makes him my pick for best passer in the country. Smith adds to his on court impact with a solid scoring game built around his perimeter shooting and touch around the basket. Lastly, in his first season with Edey, their pick 'n roll connection was impressive with how both players made each other better.
Smith's floater:
Live ball passing:
Smith's passing:
Smith's passing:
Although Smith was extremely impressive last season, he was still a true freshman that had to play through weaknesses that became more apparent as the season goes on. Most apparent was how physical opponents guarded him, trying to disrupt his timing and knock him off balance. This strategy was effective because of Smith's smaller stature and Purdue's play style put a lot of pressure on him to handle pressure while still keeping the offense organized. Additionally, Smith was inconsistent with his offense at the rim, despite consistently penetrating into the lane. In these areas, Smith struggled when he lacked aggressiveness.
In evaluating Smith, the players that I would compare Smith to are Steve Nash and Cassius Winston. This comparison is more about how I think Smith can be maximized, rather than who I think he plays like. I say this because of how Nash and Winston used pace and time to force defenses to bend to their will. Winston ran the Michigan State transition offense with quick decisions up the court that put MSU wings in great positions to score. Winston was also used off ball because of how aggressive he was in hunting his own shot and using the threat of his scoring to open his teammates in the half court. The Nash comparison is an ode to the pick 'n roll mastery and how he used his dribble to probe defenses for openings that Smith could use to minimize his size disadvantage.
To reach the level of impact that a player like Winston had in college, Smith needs to develop his scoring ability. The foundation for his scoring starts with his ball handling and getting to the spots that he needs, even against more athletic competition. His ball handling directly leads into his paint scoring. With added control, Smith needs to become more consistent with his finishing, and at his size, he does this by being unpredictable for defenders. Disrupting timing, finishing from a variety of angles (using his floater more), and creating contact to get to the free throw line. And as the lead ball handler, he has to both a scorer and playmaker while not turning the ball over.
Putting this all together, Smith has an elite passing ability that can make him the best point guard in Purdue history. He has very good instincts that let him turn rebounds and steals into transition opportunities. In transition, his speed, vision, and decision making allows for him to be in control of the entire court and generating offense for himself and others. In the half-court, his pick 'n roll game is solid, but I would like for him to understand and manipulate defenses into advantageous situations. Rejecting ball screens, give and go's, and snaking allows for Smith to gain an extra second against his defender. The key will be how comfortable Smith can get taking advantage of aggressive hedging or hard trailers (Think Indiana or Illinois) by either quickly getting the ball somewhere else to attack, or holding the ball to draw out the defense and wait for a mistake to exploit (This is were the nashing comes into play in the PnR, especially with a roller like Edey that generates so much rolling gravity). Finally, as Smith gets older, I would love to see him develop his off ball game to be a more efficient scorer in multiple different ways. This can be manifested through him reading screens to come off and shoot from, or becoming more efficient as a cutter to create space.
Smith PnR Baseball Pass:
Smith in Transition:
Smith Nashing in Transition:
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