WEST LAFAYETTE − In the pursuit of optimizing Purdue basketball's performance, Matt Painter made a significant starting lineup adjustment. This move aimed to enhance the team's offensive capabilities while potentially uncovering their best defensive lineup. The Boilermakers, opting for a smaller and more athletic lineup, knew they would face challenges on the defensive end.

Uncovering Purdue's Defensive Potential with a Lineup Shift

Offense and Defense: The Initial Dilemma

After five games where Purdue scored a season-low 58 points at Marquette, the team had to find a lineup that could generate points against more athletic opponents on their challenging schedule. The 80-45 thumping of Marshall with the new lineup initially showed promise on the defensive end statistically, but the on-court performance told a different story. Purdue coach Matt Painter emphasized the need to better keep the ball in front and contain dribbles.More: Passion for Purdue basketball shined through for Frank Kendrick. Texas A&M exposed some of Purdue's defensive flaws, as the Aggies turned the ball over 18 times but nearly offset it with 14 offensive rebounds.

The New Lineup and Player Adjustments

Purdue faced another athletic squad in Auburn on Saturday. Last year, the team relied on pushing things inside with Zach Edey, but this year, Daniel Jacobsen couldn't provide the same level of defense. As a result, there were lineup alterations. Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer have been starters in the backcourt for the past three seasons, and Trey Kaufman-Renn in the starting frontcourt for the last two. This time, it was sophomores Cam Heide and Myles Colvin making their first starts.Colvin's status as a starter came while playing similar minutes as when he was a non-starter this season. Heide had the biggest adjustment, moving from a three-and-D perimeter player to playing the four and averaging ten more minutes per game. Athletic ability became crucial as he had to guard bigger players. "It's just being mentally ready. You kind of have to know these big guys are going to look to get position on me more times than a three or a two or a wing or guard would. That's something I have to prepare for, always being ready to hit first and not let these big guys get position that they want," Heide said.

Defensive Numbers and Challenges

Looking at Purdue's first five opponents and the last six, the schedule is fairly even. Despite the lineup change, the defensive numbers are eerily similar. Opponents shot 43.3% through five games and 42.4% over the last six. The points per game average of Purdue's opponents dropped by 3.6 per game over the last six, but this was skewed by Marshall's 45. A more concerning aspect is that Purdue is averaging 75 points per game over the last six and struggled to get into offensive sets in two of their last three games with defenses pressuring and pestering Smith.Purdue also turned the ball over 16 times last Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, in their third loss in the last seven games. "Part of our defense, it's so important that we run good offense," assistant coach Paul Lusk said before playing Texas A&M. "And in our two losses (Marquette and Penn State), we've turned the basketball over, and that's going to put us in a really compromising position."

Navigating the Season with Smaller Lineups

Purdue has shown it can take care of the ball, as seen in the game against Alabama. But they have also proven they can't. When they do take care of the ball, the defense looks a lot better. It has been a challenge as Purdue navigates not only without the size advantage it had in the past but also without the quickness advantage, as evidenced just last Saturday. The Boilermakers are learning on the fly, and Auburn's offense will try to take advantage. "This year with smaller guys, we've gotten better at keeping things down. We've done better at knowing their actions and getting on top of things. It's only going to help us moving forward the more different kinds of offensive schemes we see," Loyer said.Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.