Braden Smith Still Searching for 'Something Bigger' Than Assist Record

Braden Smith has heard a lot about assist records during his senior year. It's been a talking point since before the 2025-26 season tipped off in November. And while he certainly appreciates his individual accomplishments on the basketball court, it's not the reason he returned to Purdue for his senior season.

Smith became the Big Ten's all-time assist leader on Saturday night in Madison, dishing out 12 assists as the fifth-ranked Boilermakers defeated Wisconsin 89-73, improving to 13-1 on the season and 3-0 in conference play.

"It's obviously a huge accomplishment, it's awesome to have," Smith said after the game. "What's more important to me — and I know everybody is going to lose their mind — is the win. I just want to win. That's why we came back and that's the goal. I was put around a lot of good teammates and guys who can put the ball in the hoop and make my job easier."

Smith is now the all-time assist leader at Purdue and in the Big Ten, breaking the school record as a junior last season. But none of that has been a focus for the Boilermaker guard.

Instead, Smith and his teammates are working towards bringing a national title back to West Lafayette. That is the only goal Purdue's senior guard is worried about reaching.

"It's really cool to see and be part of, but at the end of the day, I'm here for something bigger than that, and that's to win a national championship," Smith said. "That's really our main focus."

Smith enjoying success with teammates

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) celebrates a teammate scoring | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

What has made Smith's record-breaking career so special is that he's shared these accomplishments with great teammates. Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn have been there from the start. He had the opportunity to play alongside two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey.

There have been a lot of great teammates who have helped Smith reach incredible career milestones.

"I'm just living in the moment, trying to enjoy each step and each game that we play," Smith said. "Right now, it doesn't mean anything. For me, it's one game at a time, keep winning, and obviously this group is special. It's fun to do it with them."

Coach Matt Painter echoed similar sentiments after Saturday night's record-breaking performance. While he gave Smith a lot of credit for breaking the Big Ten record, he also said Smith has gotten a lot of help from his teammates over the years.

"We've also had people who can make shots, too," Painter said. "He understands that point of it. If you're out there by yourself and can really pass and you're with a bunch of spazzes who can't really shoot, you're not going to get that record. So, it's a great individual record, but it's also a great team record."

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Smith enjoying success with teammates

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