The Point Guard Debate

redmanwest said:
Hey, I'm in the camp of waiting and seeing. He has shown good potential against lower competition. but the strengths he's shown in distributing and getting the ball to the open spot are valuable and translatable. Heck, a few years ago, NC State went to the Final 4 with Michael O'Connell as their very steady and capable PG. I see a lot in common. And Michael is now playing in the G League... Just sayin'.
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The irony is that the biggest critique people have of him inevitably goes back to his size and athleticism, while the best PG in the country is his physical twin. Yes I know Purdue doesn’t play the same style of defense we do, but they sure as hell stress that side of the ball.

I have little doubt Darling has the skill to be our starting PG and a damned good one.
 
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Amaseinyourface said:
The irony is that the biggest critique people have of him inevitably go back to his size and athleticism, while the best PG in the country is his physical twin. Yes I know Purdue doesn’t play the same style of defense we do, but they sure as hell stress that side of the ball.
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I don’t think people are criticizing him. Think they just don’t feel he is a starting point guard on Elite 8 / Final 4 team. The coach did not feel that way either. Think if he was the backup people be going crazy over him.

Btw sort of reminds of a less quick Mike Moses.
 
Larry Wright said:
I don’t think people are criticizing him. Think they just don’t feel he is a starting point guard on Elite 8 / Final 4 team. The coach did not feel that way either. Think if he was the backup people be going crazy over him.

Btw sort of reminds of a less quick Mike Moses.
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You don’t think people are critiquing his ability to be our starting PG?
 
Larry Wright said:
Questioning it for sure. But again he wasn’t recruited to be that.
I think there will be some teams that he will have a huge problem with I the tournament. Again I am not criticizing him, he wasn’t brought in here to do what he is going to have to do.
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What do you think of Braden Smith and do you think Purdue would be better off with a lesser player but a more physically gifted PG? Personally, give me the player.

My comments are directed at those so willing so say he’s not gonna be able to hold up as our starter.
 
Larry Wright said:
Questioning it for sure. But again he wasn’t recruited to be that.
I think there will be some teams that he will have a huge problem with I the tournament. Again I am not criticizing him, he wasn’t brought in here to do what he is going to have to do.
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I can say with certainty Rick knew early on that Ian was not going to be the SJ PG, despite his statement to contrary. He and staff then targeted talented players like Lee, Boogie to do so, came up empty and then settled on Darling.
 
Amaseinyourface said:
What do you think of Braden Smith and do you think Purdue would be better off with a lesser player but a more physically gifted PG? Personally, give me the player.

My comments are directed at those so willing so say he’s not gonna be able to hold up as our starter.
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I may be lost, but just because two guys are the same height and weight doesn't mean they're the same player. Setting aside that Braden Smith was Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana (where they know something about that), here are his stats and Darling's stats, Smith playing four years against Big 10 competition and Darling with a year (basically) at Washington State in the PAC 10 and then very different numbers in the Big Sky (which in 2025 NET rankings was #21, for comparison 8 spots below the Ivy League).

So I'm not getting the comparison here other than height/weight.

Braden Smith:
Braden Smith.png

Dylan Darling
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Amaseinyourface said:
What do you think of Braden Smith and do you think Purdue would be better off with a lesser player but a more physically gifted PG? Personally, give me the player.

My comments are directed at those so willing so say he’s not gonna be able to hold up as our starter.
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Again different style of play but Smith is a much better College player than Darling obviously
 
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lawmanfan said:
I may be lost, but just because two guys are the same height and weight doesn't mean they're the same player. Setting aside that Braden Smith was Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana (where they know something about that), here are his stats and Darling's stats, Smith playing four years against Big 10 competition and Darling with a year (basically) at Washington State in the PAC 10 and then very different numbers in the Big Sky (which in 2025 NET rankings was #21, for comparison 8 spots below the Ivy League).

So I'm not getting the comparison here other than height/weight.

Braden Smith:
View attachment 5638

Dylan Darling
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height / weight / pigment.... thats where their similarities end.

Braden Smith has been a STUD since high school.

if DD is Smith-lite... book Indy yesterday
 
Amaseinyourface said:
The irony is that the biggest critique people have of him inevitably goes back to his size and athleticism, while the best PG in the country is his physical twin. Yes I know Purdue doesn’t play the same style of defense we do, but they sure as hell stress that side of the ball.

I have little doubt Darling has the skill to be our starting PG and a damned good one.
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I'm not anti Darling at all (yet) but to say he and Braden Smith are physical twins is a mostly ridiculous statement. They may be roughly the same size but they are in two completely different leagues when it comes to speed, quickness, athleticism etc.

Smith graded out as Purdue's best defensive player last year and was their second best the two previous seasons behind only Edey.
 
lawmanfan said:
I may be lost, but just because two guys are the same height and weight doesn't mean they're the same player. Setting aside that Braden Smith was Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana (where they know something about that), here are his stats and Darling's stats, Smith playing four years against Big 10 competition and Darling with a year (basically) at Washington State in the PAC 10 and then very different numbers in the Big Sky (which in 2025 NET rankings was #21, for comparison 8 spots below the Ivy League).

So I'm not getting the comparison here other than height/weight.

Braden Smith:
View attachment 5638

Dylan Darling
View attachment 5639
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The point is his size does not prevent him from being the best point guard in the country. Simple. Where as you and many have pointed to Darlings many times.

And here’s my lawman/marillac moment of the day. Cause Smith replaced a top freak athlete, top 3 NBA pick at point guard and I’m sure our fans would have been worried sick. This was in November of his freshmen year.
 

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MugCostanza said:
I'm not anti Darling at all (yet) but to say he and Braden Smith are physical twins is a mostly ridiculous statement. They may be roughly the same size but they are in two completely different leagues when it comes to speed, quickness, athleticism etc.

Smith graded out as Purdue's best defensive player last year and was their second best the two previous seasons behind only Edey.
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Please tell me where athletically they are in different leagues. That is ridiculous statement.
 
Watched the Florida Miami game last night and saw Miami’s point guard blow by Lee on a regular basis. Fland and Lee shot a combined 0-10 on 3’s and 3-17 from the field overall. Combined 6 assists and 5 t/o’s. Hardly stellar stats against a team projected to finish in the middle of the ACC this year. I say let’s give our “back up” point guard a chance to prove himself before declaring that the sky is falling.
 
We desperately need Ian Jackson to be a good enough ballhandler to run the offense when Darling is on the bench because Sanon is not capable of being the lead ballhandler. Darling can be a defensive liability, but we're going to have to play him 30 mpg against teams that press effectively until/unless Jackson is capable because Darling is currently leaps and bounds better at dribbling than everyone else.
 
lawmanfan said:
You're talking about actual usage as opposed to proper role. Jacoby Brissett is starting for Arizona because their starting QB is hurt. So now he's a "starting QB." But we all know that what he really is is is a backup QB. (And yes I know their starting QB is not awesome either, but let's roll with that example anyway.)
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The problem with that example is nobody is hurt for us. This is our roster and Darling is our only PG. The roster construction seems very weird to me. Why do we have so many wings when we already had Ayo and Lefty? Shouldn't the money that got us Ian have been spent on at least a bonafide combo guard?

We spent a ton of money on bringing in two 4's and a trio of wings, but we only brought in one unproven PG? Bizarre for a team with championship aspirations.

I will always beat the dominant PG/combo drum the loudest on this site, but I am happy with Darling. I just wish we could replace one of Seller/Sanon/Jackson with a legit combo that could dish 3-4 assists.
 
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