After a season that could be described as frustrating, see how we would like Raleigh Burgess to bounce back in his sophomore year.
Purdue Basketball Offseason Homework: Raleigh Burgess
Coming into the 2024-25 Purdue basketball season, we knew that there would be a log jam of players trying to fight for minutes. For 6-11 freshman forward, Raleigh Burgess, he seemed to be 5th in line of the bigs behind TKR, Jacobsen, Furst, and Berg. Obviously, the injury to Jacobsen changed that pecking order and with Berg’s struggles, Burgess seemed to be neck and neck with Will for the third spot amongst the bigs. From a minutes perspective, Burgess had a high variety, playing some games at 3-5 minutes while others at 12-15 minutes. It really felt like his minutes depended on the foul situation of Trey Kaufmann Renn and Caleb Furst, as if they would get into foul trouble, Burgess would be the ‘break glass in case of emergency’ guy. And with limited minutes came inconsistency, but the potential was there. In 4 minutes against Alabama and 10 minutes against Auburn, Burgess scored 5 and 7, respectively including 4 rebounds in the Auburn game. Once in conference play, the minutes variability seemed to level out, though it was on the low end near 2-8 minutes nearly every night. Often times, in his limited role, Burgess would not be a big factor on offense. In 9 of Purdue’s last 14 regular season games, Burgess did not take a shot and in the final 10 games, he scored in 2 games, but did score a season-high 8 against USC. At the end of the season, it was revealed that Burgess was having issues with his lower legs / shins and it played a big role in his limited minutes. Burgess played 3 total minutes in the Big Ten Tournament across 2 games and did not play at all in the NCAA Tournament. He finished the season averaging 6.3 minutes, 1.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and shooting 53.5% from the floor including 40% from 3 (on 15 shots).
So here is where we would like to see Raleigh improve: first and foremost, come back healthy. After successful leg surgery in the early off-season, it has been said that Burgess will be back and ready to play next season. That will obviously be the most important as Raleigh won’t be able to effectively compete if he isn’t 100%.
Secondly for Burgess will be to expect limited minutes again. With the return of TKR, Daniel Jacobsen from injury, and the addition of Oscar Cluff, Burgess will likely find himself as the 4th big on the team. Burgess could again see limited minutes, but he was effective in a limited role last season before injury. In order for Raleigh to replicate that, he will have to make the most of those minutes by scoring when called upon, rebounding every time he can, and limiting turnovers. It’s easy to talk and say we want that, but we think Raleigh has the talent to do it, even in a small role.
The last thing we want to see Burgess improve upon is defense. At 6-11, 240, Burgess is not a small human, but the lateral quickness is not necessarily there. Obviously, with the shin surgery, that quickness may be difficult to improve upon, but staying in front of opposing bigs will be just as important. Using his frame to his advantage would go a long way for Raleigh.
Overall, it could be described as a frustrating freshman year for Raleigh Burgess as minutes were limited and injuries popped up. But there are opportunities to improve and contribute on what appears to be an excellent team next year. Rest up and come back stronger, Raleigh.