Gonzaga's Braden Huff still searching for his rhythm after knee injury

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 1-0 after a well-rounded victory over the Purdue Boilermakers on Monday afternoon in Las Vegas, 78-72, behind 22 points from Davis Fogle and 18 from Xaivian Lee.

The Zags also got another strong showing from backup big man Izan Almansa, who scored 11 points on 4-6 shooting, and starting center Massamba Diop was productive with seven points on 2-3 shooting, although foul trouble limited him to just 15 minutes.

The scary thing for Gonzaga opponents is how good that frontcourt looks already...and that's with returning star Braden Huff still finding his groove after missing the second half of last season with a knee injury.

Braden Huff struggles to find his shooting touch

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Braden Huff (34). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Huff's first game of the season had ups and downs, with the 6'10 big man shooting 4-11 from the field and 2-4 from the free throw line, scoring 10 points and seven rebounds in nearly 36 minutes of playing time.

He worked his tail off defensively with Diop in foul trouble, and grabbed a whopping five offensive rebounds, but continued a trend from the preseason of failing to convert shots at the rim that fans are not used to seeing him miss.

"Huff missed a couple, but Huff really battled tonight," coach Few said after the Purdue game. "He was great on defense. He was great on the defensive boards. It's not easy shooting over a 7'4 guy, and he just missed a couple ones that kind of rolled out that they don't usually roll out. So he'll be fine."

Huff was limited in the early part of the offseason as he continued his recovery, but came into the exhibition slate at full strength - albeit a little rusty after missing so much game action.

The 6'10 senior shot just 4-11 at Kraziness in the Kennel back on Oct. 3, including 2-8 on two point attempts, and while his 7-16 performance against Arkansas is hardly bad - it's still not the insane level of efficiency fans have come to expect from Huff, a preseason nominee for the Naismith Trophy.

Is there reason for concern?

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Huff has been among the most efficient low post scorers in college basketball since his debut in the 2023-24 season. Over 89 career games Huff is a 65.7% shooter on two pointers, including 70.1% as a freshman and 69.7% last year prior to his injury.

So there's no real reason to panic about a few underwhelming performances, especially considering Arkansas and Purdue are two of the best interior defenses Gonzaga will face all season long.

Plus, the rise of Almansa in the early going takes pressure off Huff to be the team's only interior scoring option, and while Huff played 35 minutes against Purdue, he'll likely have a smaller workload going forward - especially once Diop makes an adjustment and avoids getting in foul trouble as often.

Gonzaga's home opener is Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2:00 PM PT against New Mexico State. The game will be broadcast locally on KHQ and streamed on ESPN Unlimited.

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