Off-Season Prospectus: Purdue's 2016-17 roster dynamics

More: Purdue projected roster | Purdue schedule highlights

The season remains many months away, but with Purdue's roster finalized - or at least very close to it - it's becoming relatively clear what sort of team the Boilermakers should have, at least on paper, next season.

Big, but not quite as big

All-Big Ten center A.J. Hammons is gone, so Purdue no longer has 7-footers to throw at opponents in waves, but obviously has an outstanding fill-in in massive junior Isaac Haas, who projects to be extremely productive and influential in an expanded larger role.

Purdue again will have the biggest, most physical power forward in the conference, maybe college basketball, in Caleb Swanigan and a wing in Vincent Edwards who brings excellent size and rebounding ability to that position, among other things, but Purdue does get slightly smaller and less physical and markedly less intense with the loss of Rapheal Davis from the 2/3 category, though it might be offset such losses with added offensive skill.

Purdue does not have its entire skyline of a frontcourt anymore, but it does inject some added athleticism.

Coming out of redshirt, Basil Smotherman is one of Purdue's two or three best athletes, if not its best, and will play both forward positions. Additionally, post Jacquil Taylor is Purdue's most athletic big man and seems to closing in on being ready to be a contributor. The depth chart is still stacked against him on paper, but it's not as suffocating as it once was.

It may not be size, per se, but Purdue has lost some size and length from its backcourt with Johnny Hill and Kendall Stephens gone, and gotten smaller in general on the perimeter.

A more flexible frontcourt

There's nothing "good" about losing one of the best players in the country at his position, as Purdue did with Hammons leaving, but his departure does create a new dynamic.

Purdue is no longer locked into having a true pivot on the floor at all times, affording it the option to go smaller more often and more proactively, with Swanigan likely to bring an impactful matchup dynamic to the 5 position in the minutes he'd see there when Haas is off the floor. He showed as a freshman that he can be a very difficult matchup for opposing centers at the offensive end while costing the Boilermakers nothing in trade-off on the glass.

The Boilermakers will obviously feature Haas to great lengths, but Swanigan-at-center lineups could bring with them a net bump defensively due to having more agile personnel across the board and a net increase in passing and decision-making, assuming some modest improvement from the now-experienced Swanigan in the turnover column. And Swanigan's ability to make mid-range and even long-range jump shots could help Purdue from spacing and dribble-penetration perspectives. This, of course, is all in theory at this point, but that will be the hope.

Likewise, lineup flexibility should allow Purdue to get more athleticism on the floor up front in some cases and in others, respond better to unfavorable matchups. Purdue played last season wholly committed to leveraging its "ultimate size," but that season ended with the Boilermakers playing small in response to Little Rock's personnel.

There could theoretically be situations next season where Purdue's smaller lineups are its better lineups.

More: Purdue's changing frontcourt dynamics ($) | Hammons to Haas ($)

More skill on the floor

Purdue does not have the biggest, quickest or most athletic corps of guards - and all those things will inevitably be concerns to varying degrees - but between its true point guards and "shooters" - Dakota Mathias and Ryan Cline have proven themselves to be more than just that, but it's still their calling card - the Boilermakers should not be short on shooters, passers and decision-makers.

Mathias, Cline and point guards P.J. Thompson and Spike Albrecht are all proven or very likely 40-percent types of three-point threats, and freshman Carsen Edwards comes in at point guard with a reputation as one of the better shooters at his position in his class.

Meanwhile Thompson broke a Purdue record for assist-to-turnover ratio last season; Mathias would have had Thompson not; and Cline broke the school's freshman record. And Albrecht's track record at Michigan in that area was sparkling.

All that being said, one of Purdue's greatest concerns going into next season will be its ball-handlers' ability to handle pressure. That's not just the guards.

More: On Mathias and Cline playing together: Report ($) | Purdue's backcourt ($)

Redefining itself defensively

Purdue's personnel is very different, with a dominant shot-blocker and influential wing defender leaving.

Purdue will have to adjust defensively to put its personnel in the best positions possible, because on paper, it's not going to be the quickest or most athletic team and will have some alarms going off against dribble penetration here and there. It wasn't a strength last season and now Hammons isn't there to erase breakdowns.

Haas said he hopes to offset the loss of Hammons' shot-blocking with improved awareness in corralling screens. And Swanigan's mobility for his size might make for a bump in those situations when he's at the 5. But Purdue won't have the same rim-protection element it did the past four seasons. Not even close.

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