Offensive Player Profile: Trey Kauffman-Renn

Coming into Purdue, Trey Kauffman-Renn was a highly rated four star recruit after having a highly successful high school career. The hype around TKR cooled after red-shirting his first year on campus, and playing a secondary bench role last year. But I will not be fooled into doubting the TKR breakout this season. So let us jump right into breaking down what makes me so excited about TKR.

To start with, his ability to create and finish plays is an interesting skill to pair with other members in the Purdue front-court (Zach Edey, Mason Gillis, Caleb Furst). He creates actions for himself with a combination of drives and post ups that flow from one to the other seamlessly because his comfort with handling the ball. Off the ball, TKR slides into gaps around the basket very effectively that allows for him to quickly float in low calorie shots within the offensive flow. This is all multiplied because he has great touch and range with his right hand, leading him to shoot 75% at the rim (33/44) in his redshirt freshman season. Although Trey is a very good scorer, is most underrated ability is his passing from the post. He does a great job of stay closed off from the defense with his shoulders, but still seeing the the weakside. This allows for him to protect the ball while still finding angles to hit cutters or shooters. Overall, Trey can make a case for the second best offensive player on this team during his sophomore year (and I am a Braden Smith believer).

Though Trey has a fascinating offensive upside, he still has areas that stunt some of his offensive impact and adds inconsistencies to his game. I love a lot about his post game, but he was bothered with players that answered his physicality and tried to push him around. This led to off balance and frantic attempts to dislodge the defender, eventually leading to ill-advised shots and offensive fouls. Additionally, he lacks overall counters to players that sit on his left shoulder to dissuade his right hook without confidence in his left hand. On the perimeter, his shooting lacked consistency, shooting 64% from the free throw line and 25% from three (only 20 attempts from three) which could loom large when asked to stretch the floor next to Edey. Another aspect on the perimeter is Trey's screening ability, become more targeted with his screens to create space for the guards.

When watching Trey, I saw a lot of Drew Timme potential in his offensive skill set. I love how Gonzaga used TImme in dribble handoffs, pick 'n rolls, and other perimeter actions to free up their guards early in the possession. This style allowed for Timme to work his way into the paint through rolling, short drives, and cuts to the block. Trey can play a similar style at Purdue because of his passing and dribbling ability, allowing for him to flow from perimeter actions to mid-post post ups for him to be an offensive driver from inside and out.

As Trey continues to develop, his biggest growth will be in how he controls his pace. Being more cognizant of how defenses are trying to throw him off, and remaining calm as he flows into controlled counters. While developing these counters like a spin to his left hand, shot fakes to draw fouls, and even a mid-post face up game that allows for him to use his handle and speed to punish bigger, physical defenders. The final piece for Trey, and maybe the most important for his hopes of playing in the NBA, will be his perimeter shooting. I am confident that he will show some improvement in that area, but the more that he develops his shot, the higher his draft stock will climb as an upperclassmen.

Trey is in a unique position at Purdue. His value is offensively center but he will struggle to reach his apex until Edey leaves. Though, his differences from other players on Purdue's roster still make him a valuble player for Coach Painter. His comfortability with the ball makes him a very good bench unit offensive hub. He has flashed a passing ability, patience, and comfort to toggle between scoring and passing that allows for him to drive a ton of offensive for himself and others, allowing for a more effective non-Edey offense that what Purdue had last year. In this role, I would love to see Purdue mix Trey's possessions between the perimeter and the post. Really focusing on using the athletes on Purdue's bench to cut and move around Trey, opening up passing and driving lanes for Trey to score and facilitate from. In this way, Purdue can have a consistent paint threat that can create offensive for more defensive oriented players. Then, with Edey on the floor, Trey moves into more of a secondary cutter and floor spacer. Still adding the secondary post option and play finishing that he flashed last year, able to play in a lot of one on one situations with so much attention going to Edey. In this lineup, Purdue should have no problem scoring because of how complete and dominate the offensive skillset is between both Edey and Trey. Overall, Trey should be used as both an offensive driver in more defensive oriented bench lineups, while becoming an elite play finisher next to Edey.