Purdue Basketball's Depth a Positive, But Comes With Complexities

Depth is a tremendous strength for Purdue this season. From top to bottom, the Boilermakers are loaded with skill, a good problem for coach Matt Painter. But having so many talented players on the roster can also create some complexities.

Entering the 2025-26 season, we basically know one thing — Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer will play a lot of minutes. Centers Oscar Cluff and Daniel Jacobsen are also likely to be major contributors. Everyone else will continue to fight for minutes through fall practice, hoping to play a significant role on a team expected to compete for a national championship.

That's a group that includes CJ Cox, Gicarri Harris, Antione West Jr., Omer Mayer, Liam Murphy, Jack Benter, and Raleigh Burgess. All might be talented enough to help the Boilermakers, but not all are going to get the minutes.

"The depth of our team is definitely an advantage," Painter said on Wednesday. "But sometimes you'll have good players who are at eight, nine, and 10, and you don't get a very high value from them because they're so used to playing 25 to 30 minutes. They're good players, but they're not bringing a lot of value to the team until they get that 25 or 30 minutes. That's my job as a coach, to be able to talk to them."

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2), forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) and guard Braden Smith (3) huddle up | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Purdue finds itself in a great situation heading into the 2025-26 season. It has a roster with 12 players that can impact a game, a major factor in Purdue's preseason No. 1 projection.

What happens, though, when some of those individuals aren't getting a high volume of minutes? Painter admitted that getting into a rhythm with limited playing time can be incredibly difficult. The goal is to get individuals bought into the mentality to play hard every second they're on the floor.

"That's probably the hardest thing to do, to get them to play at a high level, a higher intensity level, because they're not going to be out there for 30 minutes," Painter said. "Just empty their tank and be able to compete, play hard, sprint both ways — just lay it on the line. That's hard."

Painter shares in frustration with players

Painter actually understands what some of his players are going through when it comes to limited minutes. When he played for legendary coach Gene Keady at Purdue, there were times when he was the eighth man and would see the court briefly before returning to the bench.

"You have to share their frustrations. If you've ever been in that role and you've ever played, it's hard to look at the cup (half-full)," Painter said. "You're looking at it like, 'Man, I need more minutes, period.' Well, that's not the right way to go about it. You have to look at it like, 'Hey, he's subbing me in here for three or four minutes twice per half, I have to make the most of it.'"

Over the last several years, Painter has commented on Purdue's depth and how it can be difficult at times for players sitting longer than they're playing. The phrase, "It's hard to be consistent with inconsistent minutes," is something mentioned frequently.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter shares a moment with guard Gicarri Harris | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

There are only 200 minutes to distribute in a game. As much talent as Purdue has on the roster, it's impossible to delegate those minutes evenly without sacrificing what's best for the team.

Getting players to buy into the team-first mentality is critically important, especially for a program with championship aspirations.

"It's hard because you look at it like, 'If you just give me my chance, I'll play better.' That's not the way it works," Painter said. "That's why the summer is so important, the fall is so important, because you're on earning ground."

Over the next month of Purdue's practice, Painter and his staff will put together a rotation that puts the team in the best position to win. But with 12 guys capable of making major contributions, it won't be easy.

"That's their job," Painter said, "to make it tough on me."

Painter shares in frustration with players

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