As Purdue heads to Lexington today to play Kentucky in an exhibition, we are just one Daniel Jacobsen away from its season opener against Evansville on November 4th.
Twelve days and Purdue will try to live up to its #1 billing, and that starts with the most reworked part of its rotation from last year’s Sweet Sixteen run, its big man room. Matt Painter reiterated yesterday after final prep before Kentucky, adding transfer big Oscar Cluff was non-negotiable. Purdue needed to improve its rebounding,
so it went out and got the best big man/rebounder in the portal. But improvement inside also means getting Daniel Jacobsen back after the 7-3 big man missed almost the entirety of his freshman campaign last season after a broken leg in the second game of the season sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Jacobsen is Purdue’s best shot blocker and is now in a better position to succeed than he was in his freshman year. Don’t get that wrong. Jacobsen would have played more last year and will start this season on the bench for Purdue, and will stay off the bench if all goes according to plan.
He put in work on his body while rehabbing, and would have gotten a sizable chunk of the center minutes last season. But that would have been out of necessity, not because Jacobsen was ready for that kind of workload.
Jacobsen’s upside remains nearly limitless. Players his size don’t have the skills that Daniel does. He has tremendous hands, and that makes him an impossible cover inside when he has the ball. His length and quick jump allow him to be a lob threat at any time. He can legitimately stretch the floor with his three-point jumper. On defense, his length allows him to challenge any shot at the rim. At the same time, he still lacks the brute force to dominate consistently on both sides of the ball. Handling a starting role would have been a lot for the young big man, who still needed to add weight to his frame.
Adding Cluff provides protection. Everything Jacobsen does well —and everything he adds to the court —is luxury more than necessity. Daniel will likely have games where he’s the best center on the team. He’ll close some games out, but overall, he doesn’t have anywhere near the experience Oscar does.
Cluff’s experience, his own skill, and his body will allow him to handle the heft of the season, especially as Purdue gets towards the end of its season and everyone is bruised and battered.
Jacobsen will get to learn from Cluff, gain much-needed game experience, and deliver elite production from a backup center position, where he will play with a great playmaker, whether it be Braden Smith or Omer Mayer.
Don’t be surprised if Jacobsen has one of the most efficient advanced metrics in the conference. He should be a tour de force when he’s on the floor. During the summer, he was a nightmare in the dunker’s spot, playing next to TKR as a lob threat during short rolls. He still presents as an elite shot blocker, and the more he plays, the more he’ll be able to take advantage of his physical tools and skills.
There might not be a team in the country with a better backup option at center.
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Daniel in action, so I’ve included a few clips to refresh your memory.
