Matt Painter Provides Injury Update on Purdue Forward Liam Murphy
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Purdue may be without senior forward Liam Murphy until December. This week, coach Matt Painter provided an update on the sharp-shooter, who suffered a shoulder injury during practice last week.
Murphy missed Purdue's game against Akron on Sunday because of the injury. Painter said it's not a long-term issue for the forward, but he does expect him to miss some time.
"A couple weeks, I would think," Painter told Nathan Baird of The Indianapolis Star on Wednesday. "He'll be evaluated here in a week ... I would say the earliest would be in a couple of weeks."
Painter said it's not currently a "day-to-day" situation for Murphy, but it's also not something that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season. He also said Purdue lucked out, because it could have been much worse.
"We were fortunate," he said. "For an injury, it was good news."
Murphy underwent shoulder surgery following his 2024-25 season at North Florida and was unable to participate fully in Purdue's summer practices. Following the game against Akron, Painter said the injury was not sustained to the same shoulder.
Murphy played in each of Purdue's first two games and played a key role in the 87-77 victory over Oakland. He came in off the bench and scored 11 points and grabbed two rebounds in pivotal moments. The senior provided a nice spark off the bench in the absence of Trey Kaufman-Renn.
He has not played in each of the last two games, and he will not play for the Boilermakers this week in the Baha Mar Championship. Purdue will play Memphis on Thursday and either No. 15 Texas Tech or Wake Forest on Friday.
Murphy made winning plays vs. Oakland
Minutes for Murphy will be limited now that Kaufman-Renn is back in the starting rotation and Jack Benter has earned the spot as the backup to the All-Big Ten forward. When his number was called, though, he made the most of his opportunity.
The senior made some big plays for the Boilers in a 10-point win over Oakland in the first week of the season. He hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to close out the first half, and knocked down two big triples midway through the second half.
"It was huge," Painter said after the game. "That's what he can do; there's no hesitation. He missed his first couple, then he made that one at the end of the first half. But that stretch right there, where it's a one-possession game and he makes back-to-back threes, that gave us a lift."
Murphy transferred to Purdue following the 2024-25 season, giving the Boilers another three-point weapon off the bench. He 42.3% from long range at North Florida and has already connected on 4-of-9 attempts this season.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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