“Don’t worry about anything but being where your feet are…”
Purdue’s offensive coordinator, PJ Thompson, has seen a lot at Purdue. After a full playing career under Matt Painter, Thompson returned to Purdue to coach alongside Painter and eventually take over Purdue’s offense.
He’s been in charge of an offense that lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and that has gotten all the way to the last game of the season. There’s not much about Purdue basketball that Thompson hasn’t seen.
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One thing Thompson hasn’t seen though? Someone figure out Purdue’s complicated system right away. That goes for Thompson’s newest toy on offense, Omer Mayer, too. Despite all the polish and skill, Mayer is still learning Purdue’s system, but it appears he’s already found his place on the team.
“I just think he’s in the process of figuring out our system,” Thompson told me after the first official practice media got to witness on Wednesday that included Omer Mayer as a full participant on display to the media for the first time.
Mayer was a late addition in the recruiting process to this Purdue team. The Israel guard shot onto the scene, dominating international play over the summer, and choosing Purdue despite Purdue already having the best point guard in the country on its roster.
That not getting it right away might be one of the biggest challenges for Mayer who comes to Purdue with a unique basketball history. He missed a good portion of the summer because of his international slate where he starred on two different Israel national teams. Before that, Mayer has been playing for a professional basketball team in Tel Aviv the last couple seasons. He’s not used to not dominating on the court.
“European basketball is different than American basketball,” Thompson told me before adding. “But we [Purdue] also differ from American basketball.”
Purdue does not just send fives to the top of the key and play pick and roll. Purdue also doesn’t rely on isolation like many teams around the nation. Instead, Purdue’s DNA is built on similar motion concepts that thrive on European courts.
But more than just being comfortable with Purdue’s playbook, Thompson and Purdue also needs Mayer to adopt a new mindset on the court.
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“The biggest thing I tell him is we need him to score the ball,” Thompson said. He went on, “You’re not gonna be a great passer if they don’t guard you.”
Mayer looked to be taking that to heart during Purdue’s competitive drills and five on fives. Mayer was looking for his shot where he’s an elite shooter off the dribble. He’s also shown off his strength at getting to the hoop where he has a variety of moves to leverage his strength and pace at the basket.
Mayer’s passing goes without saying. Still, Mayer’s a target at practice.
Braden Smith was integral in getting Mayer to Purdue. Despite ultimately playing the same position, Smith was involved directly in recruiting Mayer to join Purdue’s program. Mayer was good enough to go to college and find a team that would make him the cornerstone of its offense from the start. Instead, Mayer will fit in next to the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and best point guard in college basketball last season.
Smith took it to Mayer every chance he got on the defensive end. Smith looked unleashed on the defensive end, using his quickness and flurry of hands to make every dribble uncomfortable. He grabbed at Mayer, pressed into him, around, and Mayer looked to revel in the competition.
Mayer’s power at point guard is a fascinating contrast to the blur of Smith. The two colliding together feels like a cold front and a warm front swirling in the sky. Both players play in so much control, but Mayer’s does his with heft and threat, a jump shot that can come from anywhere. For Smith, it’s the lightning first step, the incessant, constant movement and probing that never steps.
Both of them see the entire floor, launching passes before the play even seems to open up. They play at a pace that is entirely their own. Smith was a big reason why Mayer chose Purdue. Smith is now doing his part to pay that faith off by making Mayer better with each rep by not letting up an inch.
Omer Mayer’s life has carried a weight that most on Purdue’s campus can’t imagine. Even on the basketball court, his journey is a unique one for an 18 year old.
“He’s played in Euroleague games,” Thompson said. “He’s been part of war, where he’s at home all day and missiles are flying around.”
West Lafayette is a new setting, a new world, and the adjustment hasn’t been a subtle one, but there’s benefits from being so far from home, too, in a college basketball landscape that’s kinder to teens than pro basketball.
“He’s been amazed that everyone here wants to help,” Thompson said of Mayer. Pro basketball is filled with basketball lifers, professionals, and practices and rosters are dealt with in that capacity. At Purdue, the coaching staff isn’t just a resource for basketball knowledge, but a safe space for teens to expand as people and players.
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“We can kinda sit and coddle you a little bit,” Thompson added. “That’s not how pro basketball is. He needed to be loved on a little bit… This change on him has been hard on him mentally because it’s hard.”
Purdue has carved its place in college basketball under Matt Painter. Purdue players have thrived, at Purdue, and after. It was enough to pull a kill from Israel who could have had his choices of places to play. Mayer’s potential is near limitless on a basketball court. In a lot of ways, that’s why Purdue players have chosen Purdue – to be the best form of themselves possible.
But to do that, Mayer first has to settle in living in the present, and to trust in the place he’s put himself.
“Don’t worry about anything but being where your feet are,” Thompson told me he told Mayer this summer. “This place is set up for success. He’s good. He’s learning.”
Mayer seems to already be sure of his choice to join Purdue.
“I’m really excited to be here. I’ve been here for almost two months, I couldn’t ask for a better place for this stage of my career,” Mayer told Field of 68 in an interview a week ago. “I didn’t know I could enjoy basketball as much as I do right here.”
