After a solid freshman campaign, the guard from Massachusetts will look to make to take the next step as a sophomore.
Purdue Basketball Offseason Homework: CJ Cox
In our first homework assignment of the offseason, we will focus on one of the Purdue starters in freshman CJ Cox. Although CJ closed as a Purdue starter, it took some time to get his footing, splitting time with fellow freshman, Gicarri Harris, Cox brought quick defense and some crafty offensive skills to the table including a very solid midrange game off the dribble. What really impressed was Cox’s ability to score in spurts and score against quality competition. CJ dropped 11 against Alabama, 10 against Texas A&M, and 16 against Auburn, all while playing less than 20 minutes. With his scoring abilities and pesky defense, CJ cracked the starting lineup as part of the 0-4 (Cox, Furst, Loyer, Smith, TKR) group that would be starters for the rest of the year. Cox’s minutes would go up during conference play as he played over 20 minutes in a game for the first time against Minnesota in January. From there, his scoring and rebounding seemed to average out a bit as CJ would score around 6-8 points and grab 3-5 boards. His best game of the season came against Nebraska in January as he scored his season-high 23 points on 5-7 from 3 and 4-4 from 2. He also recorded 4 steals in the 36-point beating of the Cornhuskers. Cox did struggle to open up the postseason tournaments though as he only scored 3 points in 3 games against USC, Michigan, and High Point in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. Much like past seasons, Matt Painter did trend to using more experience in postseason play, so Cox, who had been averaging over 22 minutes per game, averaged less than 17 minutes per game across those first 3 postseason contests. In the next two games of the NCAA Tournament against McNeese and Houston, Cox secured his footing and played 20 minutes and 19 minutes, respectively, while scoring 11 and 7. All told, CJ averaged 18.6 minutes, 6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.7 steals per game on 46.1 % overall shooting and 39.8 % from 3. This was a solid freshman season for CJ Cox on a very good Purdue team that nearly secured a berth to the Elite 8.
Now that we have recapped CJ’s freshman season, let’s focus on his sophomore campaign. The first thing I would like to see CJ improve upon is consistent scoring. Make no mistake, playing basketball on this level is no easy task, especially as a freshman but there were several occasions on the season where Cox would score 10 plus and follow that up with some duds on the scoring sheet. I will caveat that statement by understanding that there are definitely ebbs and flows in basketball, but I would still prefer to see a stretch of 9, 8, 7, and 13 points than 23 points followed by 0 and 0.
Now, something that may help his scoring consistency might be driving to the basket more often. CJ Cox is good off the dribble and very good with this midrange pullup game. Being able to create your own shot makes him dangerous but if CJ can expand his bag and drive to the basket as well, it makes it that much more difficult for your opponent. Obviously, in order to do all of this, you have to get the ball in your hands and given that the top 3 scoring options for Purdue are returning next year, opportunities may not be all that more plentiful. All the more reason to keep the defense on their toes to make the most of all opportunities.
The last thing I would like to see CJ Cox improve upon is his ball-hunting output. He had 4 games this season with 3+ steals, so the skill is obviously there. Unlike Braden Smith who is just craftier than everyone on the court, CJ will play defense inside your jersey and force a mistake. That part is fantastic but where CJ could become elite is jumping the passing lanes and hunting for the ball. Not only could that disrupt the opposing offense, but it could lead to some more breakaway scores.
In recent years, Purdue has seen some solid freshmen seasons. In the subsequent sophomore seasons, some guys have risen to new heights. Luckily for CJ Cox, some of those guys are about to start their senior seasons and play the same position. Although not the exact same skillset, CJ could learn some new tricks to expand his game and ultimately, help Purdue win more. Now, we wait.