Braden Smith Passes Credit to Purdue Teammates During Record-Setting Season

Braden Smith has had a sensational career at Purdue. But he doesn't take all of the credit, saying a lot of his teammates deserve more praise than he does.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) practices at Amica Mutual Pavilion | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In his three seasons at Purdue, Braden Smith has had arguably the best career of any point guard in program history. But the Westfield, Ind. native doesn't want to hog all the credit when it comes to talking about his success. He's passing a lot of it off to his teammates.

Smith has undoubtedly been the engine that drives Purdue's basketball team. He's an unselfish player, one who thrives when distributing the ball at a high level and getting his teammates involved frequently.

"Sharing the sugar" has been Smith's forte since arriving in West Lafayette. And, after three seasons at Purdue, he's already become the program's all-time leading assist man and ranks second nationally with 8.7 assists per game during the 2024-25 campaign.

The junior guard is almost as unselfish in his pregame press conference as he is on the court. During Wednesday's media session, Smith said his high assist totals and success on the hardwood is a reflection of the talent around him.

"One, it's my job, I've been doing it my whole life," Smith said, smiling. "But, two, I think when you're surrounded by other great players, it makes my job so much easier. Yeah, I get them the ball, but they make the shots. Having great teammates in my three years I've been here, that's obviously a huge help.

"I wouldn't be here without those people. It's more of a credit to them than it is to me."

Smith has always had a knack for passing the basketball, but he's also improved in that area each season. As a freshman, he averaged 4.4 assists per game. He took a major leap as a sophomore, dishing out 7.5 per contest during Purdue's run to the National Championship Game during the 2023-24 season.

In total, Smith has dished out 732 assists and is likely to reach 1,000 by the time his career in West Lafayette ends — assuming he sticks around for the 2025-26 campaign.

So, while the junior guard might get all of the attention for his unselfishness, he's the first one to shout out his teammates when asked about his success.

It only feels appropriate.

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