Offensive Player Profile: Fletcher Loyer
- Sam Bourne
- Sep 27, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 7, 2023
Matt Painter, the head coach for Purdue basketball, has had plenty of success in finding sweet shooting Indiana kids to come play for him. Commonly, these players serve as offensive specialists that fit well into the plethora of diverse plays for Painter. Names like Sasha Stefanovic, Ryan Cline, Ryne Smith, and Dakota Mathis come to mind. And many thought freshman Fletcher Loyer would step into the recently departed sharpshooting roll after Sasha Stefanovic graduated. Loyer, a top 100 recruit by 247 sports, averaged 26.5 points during his senior season at Homestead High School and shot a scorching 45% from three (41% from three on 375 attempts in his final two years). Everything pointed to Loyer walking into Purdue as of the best shooters Purdue has had under Painter. Instead, Loyer shot an unexpected 32.6% from three. Despite his poor shooting percentages, Fletcher solidified himself as a three level scorer in the Big Ten.
First, let's define Fletcher's strengths as an offensive player. Fletcher showed himself to be capable of creating his own shot in all of the three levels of the court (MSU and Nebraska games are great examples). He has quick feet that never stop moving when he driving and has really good touch to convert tough finishes in the paint. His footwork is very good, he is able to flow into his jumper off the dribble and in transition, drive around athletic defenders, and use his baby eurostep to avoid defenders in the paint. He is a much more polished scorer with the ability and intelligence to pick his spots well. In terms of passing, he again has very good touch, being able to feather in post entry passes or throwing designed lobs. Overall, his scoring plus intelligent passing gives him a complete package to impact the game on the offensive end.
Loyer playing in Chicago action:
Driving game:
Driving game part 2:
Nebraska clips:
Fletcher's offensive game is hampered with his physical traits. This reality was taken advantage late in the year with teams being extremely physical with Loyer off the ball (sometimes illegally, looking at you Northwestern) and trying to force Loyer off his spot. This strategy was effective because it takes away Loyer's best attribute and forces him to play more on ball, which emphasizes his less polished skills in his ball handling and live ball passing. To counter this physicality, Loyer needs to find ways to punish teams being overly aggressive with him using backdoors, off ball screening, and attacking in transition to reassert his off ball value alongside as his primary offensive driver.
The player comp for Fletcher Loyer is another elite shooter from Indiana, Kyle Guy. Guy's role at Virginia as an elite shooter and cutter without the ball is the exact prototype that I would like to see Fletcher grow in to. Additionally, Guy played as a secondary ball handler with Ty Jerome, similar to the role Fletcher will play with Braden Smith.
Fletcher Loyer's impact defies the simple analysis. He is not the typical scorer that fans expect, and yet Loyer has proven to be a legit scorer. His impact starts with his shooting, and one of the key aspects of Purdue going into the 2023-24 season, is how Painter and company can weaponize Loyer's shooting prowess. This starts with giving Loyer the greenest of green lights and the more aggressive he is in hunting his shot, the more defenses will have to push out to the perimeter to guard Loyer. This will generate opportunities for Loyer to be creative with his movements - incorporating a blend of using screens for separation, back cutting when defenders overplay, and even screening for other players (ghost screens, back screens, cross screens). An interesting aspect of Loyer's game is his flashes in transition. He has shown to be an extremely reliable decision maker and thrives in playing in the space created by transition with his ability to shoot, drive, and pass. Overall, more cutting and transition opportunities will allow Loyer to exert higher pressure on the rim while increasing his off ball gravity and in turn, his overall offensive impact.
Loyer Screening:
Loyer working off of bumper action:
Loyer playing in transition:
Loyer Scoring in transition:
Loyer Driving Game:
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