INDIANAPOLIS — No matter what Braden Smith accomplished with Purdue basketball, he would never escape at least one aspect of his NBA prospect identity.
Boilermakers assistant P.J. Thompson foresaw it long before Smith began the rounds of NBA pre-draft workouts. Smith could carve up defenses with his vision and passing, score at all levels and displayed the toughness necessary to thrive at his size.
“I just hope the NBA doesn’t overthink it,” Thompson said in February 2025.
Now, 18 months later, Smith nears the conclusion of his close-up NBA scrutiny. After Monday’s workout with the Pacers, he said he would fly to Los Angeles later in the day for Tuesday’s workout with the Lakers. Then on Thursday, a workout with Denver for his sixth workout, the last one on his schedule.
Those NBA scouts and front-office execs are being tested, too. Yes, the NCAA’s all-time assists leader measures under 5 foot 11 without shoes. Does that matter more that what he does once he laces them up?
Smith is not oblivious to the importance of size. Everything ratchets up at the next level. That includes the average size of the defender guarding him when he comes up the floor.
His response covers 5,066 minutes played over the past four seasons. In a sophisticated offense, against the most rugged night-in, night-out competition in the country, Smith did his job as well as anyone who came before him and much better than most.
“He can do everything on a basketball court,” said Purdue teammate Trey Kaufman-Renn, who also attended Monday’s workout. “… From an actual basketball perspective, there’s no reason he can’t play.”
Purdue’s sophisticated offense set Braden Smith up for NBA
Most projections expect Smith to come off the board in the top half of the second round on June 24. He’s an NBA player, just as he knew he was a Big Ten player when he arrived at Purdue four years ago. The only questions were when and how often he would enter a game.
Turned out the answer was “immediately,” as he started every game of his college career. He spoke Monday like someone more realistic – which should not be mistaken for satisfied – about his initial role in the NBA.
“Obviously it’s going to be in a lesser role than I had at Purdue,” Smith said. “So for me, I think it could be a little bit easier on me, being able to have three-minute spurts, four-minute spurts, where you’re just playing super hard and you come off and sit for either minutes or whatever. You come back, bring energy, do those things.
“For me, it’s just trying to find that balance.”
No question Purdue’s elite front-court talent helped Smith, and vice versa. Zach Edey was a top-10 pick two seasons ago. Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff will play professional basketball for someone in the months ahead.
His skill set also helped Purdue get the most from that talent. He approaches the draft confident he has collected the essentials of an NBA point guard’s skill set.
He must excel at the pick-and-roll, which NBA teams utilize on around 17% of their possessions. Smith became the most effective pocket passer in the country – frequently in tandem with Kaufman-Renn.
Purdue’s lineup dynamics were not well suited for the pick-and-pop. Yet in both long and short variations, Smith racked up the bulk of those assists through Kaufman-Renn and Edey. According to Hoop Explorer, the Boiler offense last season ranked in the 99th percentile of Division I in both frequency and efficiency of the big cut and roll.
Of note: Seven of the top 11 NBA teams in pick-and-roll volume last season hold draft picks between No. 32 and No. 51.
Smith must also create his own scoring chances. This is where the degree of difficulty may ramp up the most.
College opponents tried to eliminate Smith as a factor by hard hedging him out to midcourt or changing up their assignments to put more size on him. Sometimes it worked. In the NBA he’ll see bigger bodies as a hard and fast rule, and not from any special strategy or gimmick.
Again, per Hoop Explorer, 24% of Purdue’s plays last season consisted of Smith running those pick-and-rolls attacking the basket for a shot or a kick-out. That does not include mid-range fadeaways and leaners, dribbling into 3-pointers or pulling up in transition.
“For me I think it’s just continue to make simple reads,” Smith said, “Playing smart, simple basketball. Being able to knock down the shot when you’re open.
“I think I’m at least one of the best playmakers in this draft class. For me to just be able to find my teammates, I feel I can make their jobs easier. If you do that I feel like you’ll find yourself on the floor.”
Simple, he said. Next week we’ll learn which NBA team decided Smith’s fit on its roster made too much sense to pass up.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How Purdue offense put Braden Smith in spot where they hope ‘the NBA doesn’t overthink it’
Reporting by Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
