Gonzaga's Braden Huff 'has the most upside of anyone who's coming back'
Braden Huff proved that taking a redshirt year shouldn’t go out of style in college basketball.
The 6-foot-10 forward and former Mr. Basketball in Illinois arrived at Gonzaga in 2022 without much of a spot in a rotation that featured Drew Timme, Anton Watson, Ben Gregg and Efton Reid III. Rather than burn a year of eligibility, Huff did what is considered the unconventional route in this day of college athletics — taking a redshirt year — to focus his energy on preparing his mind and body for the highest level of Division-I basketball. So for a year Huff sharpened his iron by guarding the program’s all-time leading scorer every day in practice, which Huff admitted wasn’t always an enjoyable experience but was certainly important to his development.
The numbers and accolades back up Huff’s sentiment. As a stretch forward off the bench, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 59.7% from the field and 34.8% from downtown. Huff was the team’s leading scorer in six games, including the first two games of the season, and had three 20-point outings.
Over the course of a year, Huff went from a four-star recruit who didn’t have a spot in Gonzaga’s rotation, to one of the best first-year players in the West Coast Conference as a redshirt freshman who was a major contributor on a Sweet 16 team. Based on the potential he flashed in his role off the bench, Huff could take another big jump in his second season.
Here’s an analysis of Huff's redshirt freshman season at Gonzaga.
WHAT WENT WELL
The way in which Huff meticulously broke down defenders in the post with a myriad of spins, pump fakes and drop steps was reminiscent of how Timme got most of his buckets in college. All that time guarding the program’s all-time leading scorer every day for over a year was evidenced in how Huff attacked the defense with masterful footwork and a soft touch on his shot. He was patient, decisive and had a few counters up his sleeve when defenses tried to take away his left hand; all attributes that take years for a player to develop.
Arguably Huff’s greatest asset this past season was his outside shot. He shot 22-of-65 (33.8%) from deep and attempted 1.9 3-pointers per game. That’s not consistency at a high volume, but Huff was certainly an outside threat that opened up scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Recall back to Gonzaga’s West Coast Conference regular-season finale against Saint Mary’s game in Moraga, California. Mark Few stuck Huff in the left corner to keep Mitchell Saxen, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, away from the rim to open up driving lanes for Ryan Nembhard. That’s exactly what happened, and the results were a layup from Nembhard followed by a kickout to Huff for a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions.
When matched up against bruising bigs like Saxen, Huff’s ability to stretch the floor is his biggest weapon on offense. The Zags recognized that when they went up against Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson in the NCAA Tournament, Huff stayed primarily outside the arc to keep the 7-foot-1 All-American away from the rim.
“B-Huff came in and made a great impact on the game,” Graham Ike said after the second-round win over Kansas. “Both ends of the floor. He was playing his tail off. Super proud of him and the growth he's made the whole season.”
Speaking of that game against the Jayhawks, Huff played valuable minutes when Ike sat early in the first half due to foul trouble. That was a common theme throughout the season, and for the most part, Huff was ready when his number was called. In those good moments, he earned a lot of trust from the coaching staff, such as at the end of the Kentucky game.
WHAT HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE
For everything Huff does offensively, he has room to grow on the defensive end of the floor, particularly when defending the pick-and-roll.
In the first matchup against the Gaels in Spokane, Huff was targeted on numerous possessions down the stretch. Saint Mary’s took advantage of Gonzaga’s switching defense by having the player Huff was guarding set on-ball screens, forcing Huff to switch onto a smaller and quicker guard on the perimeter. In consecutive possessions Huff gave up a layup from Aidan Mahaney and a 3-pointer from Joshua Jefferson that made it 60-55 in favor of the Gaels.
Granted, Huff likely wouldn’t have been put in that position late in the game if Ike hadn’t picked up his fourth foul with just over five minutes left in regulation. But regardless being able to defend in space and switch screens are valuable skill sets that Few covets from his big men. Not to mention they go a long way on the path toward becoming a pro.
OFFSEASON EMPHASIS
Huff’s impressive debut has earned him a bigger role as a redshirt sophomore next season. Especially without Anton Watson, Huff will be expected to play more than 13.5 minutes per game as likely the first big man off the bench behind Ike and Ben Gregg. For Huff to take the next step, he’ll need to be mentally and physically ready for the added responsibility.
Still, it’s unclear how much will be added onto Huff’s plate with so many of his teammates from this past season returning next fall, in addition to Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi and a healthy Steele Venters. All that firepower coming back for another run might mean Huff’s role doesn’t change drastically, though he’ll get plenty of touches on the low block when he is on the court.
"I think he has the most upside of anyone who’s coming back," Adam Morrison said of Huff on The Perimeter. "If he gets 22-28 minutes, I think he has the most upside to be a 15-20 point per game scorer."
MORE PLAYER BREAKDOWNS
COLE FORSMAN
Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Nation, a member of Sports Illustrated’s FanNation network. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.