Eric had a nose for the ball and averaged just under a steal per game, this is great. Steals, in my opinion, are great indicators for defensive game plans and preparation. There can be a luck factor in getting steals, but you can increase the likelihood by studying the opposition and knowing their tendencies on offense.

Hunter Jr showed that there was a reason he averaged over 30 minutes of playing time a night. His consistency was needed and he seemed to provide a steady hand every game. Matt Painter showed his trust in Hunter being a leader. I think Hunter took the job seriously and he did his best to prove himself in more than just scoring and defense. He averaged over 2.5 assists per game showing his willingness to get other guys involved when defenses started to focus on him.

His transition game was also vastly improved from his freshman year. I believe that with having more trust from Painter, he was more willing to be aggressive in transition getting to the rim on the break. I loved how aggressive Hunter was and want him to continue to look for moments to attack the break to get some easier points. I think Purdue as a team moving forward should look to play faster trying to get more quick buckets without having to beat a set defense. Those points will go a long way in the end.

As the season went on, Hunter became Purdue’s most consistent guard and provided a steady hand in games where other players were struggling to get into a rhythm. We need Hunter to continue and grow going forward into 2020-21 as this will once again a season with some uneven expectations after seeing 2019-20.

Season Stats/Averages: [PurdueSports.com]

GP/GS/Avg Mins/FGM/FGA/FG%/3PT/3PtA/3Pt%/FTM/FTA/FT%/PPG/AvgReb/TotalAST/TotalTO/TotalSTL

31/30/~32.0 /117/282/~41.0% /43/121/~35% /51/67/76% /10.6 /3.3 /82 /61 /29

Looking at Hunters’ stats showed that Purdue leaned on him a lot over the season. Hunter was consistently playing 3/4 or more of the game almost every night. And he seemed to take advantage of the time on the floor. He scored in double figures in 18 of Purdue’s 31 games. He was also never held scoreless and only being held below 5 points once. He also did his scoring dynamically, never settling too much for the 3 as well as not being afraid to get into the lane scoring in the mid-range.

As mentioned already, Hunter had a nose for the ball on defense. This shows in his 29 season steals. He had a steal in 17 games, as well as having 10 multi-steal games. Those extra possessions that those steals provide can make or break a close game and having a player with the knack for it will never be a bad thing.

His AST/TO ratio was also a very respectable 1.37:1 which would land him 4th on the team in that category, 3rd if you remove Tommy Luce’s of 6 AST to 2 Turnovers. So he was 3rd amongst players who had consistent minutes. We will need him to continue this level of ball security moving forward into next season! Keeping the ball on our side of the court as well as getting other guys involved will be invaluable, I think next year especially.

Best Game

I’m already going to break the rules and say that Hunter’s best performance was the pair of games against Indiana.

When the Boilermakers went on the road and faced IU on the night Bobby Knight made his return to Assembly Hall, Hunter was cool, calm, and collected going for 12 Pts, 2-4 from 3, 5 rebounds, 2 Ast, and 2 Stls. He just always seemed to make a play when Purdue needed it while providing a steady hand to his teammates. He also made a habit of disrupting the IU offense and forcing them to make tough plays.

Then there was the second matchup against IU, this time in the friendly confines of Mackey Arena. Hunter contributed with 17 pts, 7 rebs, 1 Ast, and 3 Stls and a first-half ending fast-break dunk that blew the lid off of Mackey. (See video above) Watching this game, you could see how hard Hunter was playing, I appreciate seeing guys play hard a lot, it shows they care and are willing to be invested in the game/team.

Looking Forward

To give Hunter one thing to work on for next year, and I know you could say this about everyone, is to increase his 3 point percentage. If he can get that 35% up around 40%, he would start playing at a level above the rest. If just shooting better isn’t enough of an ask, I think Hunter could also work on getting to the free-throw line more. 67 free throw attempts are nothing to scoff at, but we’ve seen his willingness to drive into the lane trying to get to the front of the rim. If he can work on inviting more contact on the drive, that will also provide the tangible benefit of getting guys in foul trouble.

I’m looking forward to seeing where Hunter takes his game going forward. I think he will have an even better season next year which could see him playing near an All-B1G level. If he can take that next step, coupled with the other weapons Purdue is bringing back, as well as bringing in, I think Purdue will return to the top of the Big Ten once again.

As always, Boiler Up, Hammer Down, Hail Purdue!