If simply observing the physical stature of Purdue senior point guard Braden Smith in the real world, one would not be overly impressed or intimidated.
Taking note of him in his Boilermaker uniform on the court at Mackey Arena is another animal.
Don’t confuse his slight 6-foot, 170-pound frame with that of a timid competitor. Opponents have found out the hard way that Smith’s heart and fire prove otherwise, leading to Purdue’s great success since he arrived on campus in the fall of 2022.
Despite being a highly decorated high school recruit, Smith has grown into his leadership role with the Boilers through ups and downs, both individually and collectively with his team. The perseverance and grit to make himself and Purdue exceptional have separated him from the rest of the nation’s elite players, but it hasn’t come without bumps and bruises along the way.
Smith was awarded the coveted “Mr. Basketball” award as a senior in 2022 at Westfield High School. He led his squad to the school’s first-ever sectional championship and averaged 18.3 points, six rebounds, and six assists that season. Despite that success and thanks to the COVID pandemic, Smith was not highly sought by many major college programs.
Offers from other schools were not trickling in, so Smith chose to remain in the Hoosier state to play for Matt Painter at Purdue. This happened even though the Boilers’ head coach had never seen him play in person, brought upon by recruiting and social distancing restrictions put in place during the trying ordeal of COVID-19.
Painter loved what he saw of Smith on film and trusted what he heard from people who vouched for Smith’s talent, work ethic, and character. Painter was confident with his evaluation, and Smith clicked with the coach during a Zoom call, ultimately leading him to commit shortly afterward. Both of their instincts have proven perfectly accurate.
From his first game in his freshman year, an 84-53 drubbing of UW-Milwaukee, Smith has started every single game Purdue has played. He only scored seven points in his debut, but he more than made up for that by recording seven steals and the first four assists of his career.
His freshman season was successful on an individual level, but it ended embarrassingly at the NCAA tournament. After winning the Big 10 tournament and earning a 1-seed, the Boilermakers were unceremoniously ousted in the first round by 16-seed Farleigh Dickinson, becoming just the second top seed to lose in their opening game.
Smith arguably had his worst game of the season against FDU. He made just two of his ten shots, and he turned the ball over seven times. Despite their lofty status and the presence of NCAA POY Zach Edey down low, Purdue and Smith, who earned All-Freshman status in the Big 10, were left to lick their festering wounds all off-season.
Smith and the Boilermakers used their 2023 NCAA heartbreak as fuel to motivate themselves the following season, and it culminated in an unforgettable year for both.
In his sophomore season, Smith broke out and statistically improved in every possible category to enjoy a remarkable year. He earned first-team All-Big 10 honors and honorable mention All-American status, and he was one of five finalists for the 2024 Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard.
He set a Purdue and Big 10 record with 292 assists on the season and was the only player in NCAA history to have at least 450 points, 290 assists, and 250 rebounds in a season. In what would be a sign of things to come, he recorded a school record and nation-best 10 games of 10 or more assists, the most for a Big Ten player in the last 20 years.
In Purdue’s Sweet 16 victory over Gonzaga, the sophomore floor general had a game for the ages. All he did to propel his team to the Elite 8 was record 14 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds, one of just three games with those marks in the NCAA Tournament in tournament history.
His Boilermakers steamed all the way to the 2024 championship game, only to be outmatched by the defending champion UConn Huskies, 75-60. Despite the disappointing finish, Smith and Purdue had come a long, long way from their defeat to Farleigh Dickinson the year before.
By all indications, Smith was just getting warmed up.
In what was meant to be a rebuilding year after the departure of Edey, Smith made sure the Boilermakers kept their momentum from the previous April and put together another fine season.
Smith kept progressing in gathering conference accolades. Starting with his honorable mention honors as a freshman and 1st-team all-conference selection as a sophomore, he was awarded Player of the Year in the Big 10 and Cousy Award winner as a junior. Not only that, but he was immortalized as a first-team All-American guard for his stellar play in 2024-25.
His numbers as a junior made his gaudy 2nd-year statistics seem pedestrian. Smith had one of the top statistical seasons for a point guard in NCAA history, averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game, while leading the team in minutes played (1,333) and 3-pointers made (83).
Those efforts steered Purdue to the round of 16 in the 2025 NCAA tournament, only to be ousted on a last-second basket by eventual runners-up Houston, 62-60. In the loss, Smith dished out 15 assists, becoming the only player in tournament history with two such games. Without their point guard directing the way, Purdue’s season would have been much less rewarding and fulfilling.
The main question in West Lafayette following his junior season was, Will he or won’t he jump ship to the pros? He and classmates, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer, who, like Smith, played major roles throughout their careers, ultimately decided to run it back for one last ride as seniors.
Purdue has busted out of the starting blocks unblemished in their first four games this season, which included a huge road win over then-ranked #8 Alabama. Smith was unflappable that night, scoring 29 points, 21 of them in the second half.
His efforts made Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats a believer.
“I think he’s the best point guard in the country. We’ll see how it plays out, but I think he showed it tonight — 29, seven, and four is pretty good,” Oats said. “He had seven rebounds, and our leading rebounder had four. I don’t know what they list him at, I don’t want to disrespect him, but I’d guess 5-foot-10, and he has seven rebounds, and our starting frontcourt has six combined.”
Oats’ sentiments are not by any means original. Painter echoed them succinctly and pointed to Smith’s ability to put his team on top:
“For a guy who had one high-major offer, he’s damn good,” he said last March. “I think he’ll play 10 years in the NBA. I think he’s fabulous. He affects winning. We get away from that, we look at different things, but he affects winning on both ends of the court.”
Loyer noted his backcourt mate’s innate ability to be a leader on the floor.
“For being 6 foot, I tell everybody this, he’s (Smith’s) going to play in the NBA. He’s going to be a damn good NBA player,” he said. “So he’s focused on winning a national championship, leading this team, and we see him work every day. Some of the passes he makes, it’s incredible. I’m still amazed by it.”
With all of the hype and attention Smith gets, the question is simple: Why did he and the others decide to return for one last hurrah in 2025-26? The answer is equally as simple: They want to cut down the nets at the Final Four in Indianapolis, just an hour down the road from campus, in 2026. With Smith at the helm, Boiler Nation feels like this is destined for fruition.
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