Rapheal Davis Ready to Step Up for Purdue

Feb 26, 2014; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Rapheal Davis (35) is guarded by Michigan Wolverines forward Jon Horford (15) at Mackey Arena. Michigan defeats Purdue 77-76 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Purdue Boilermakers have been in a rebuilding process ever since Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson, and E’Twaun Moore left town. They are coming off of a disappointing 2013 season, but there were quite a few bright spots and a lot of growth shown last year. There are a lot of talented young players on the roster, and head coach Matt Painter seems to have a squad put together to fit his system this coming season.

One of those talented young players is forward Rapheal Davis, and he is ready to take the next step this season. He has made it clear that he is ready to take on more of a leadership role, and his consistency scoring the basketball must improve as well. There were times last season where his full potential shined through and he was the best player on the court, but there were other times where he simply wasn’t a factor.

He averaged just 6.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game with the Boilermakers last season, but had individual games where he showed off his full potential. A couple of his best games were against 20th ranked Iowa were he scored 18 points, and a 13 point, nine rebound performance against Northwestern. His heart can never be questioned, and he definitely has bought into Painter’s system.

Purdue may not have the most talented roster to put on the floor, but they do have the necessary pieces to be a very tough team to beat. Their defense is underrated, and if they can get improved offensive production from the team, especially Davis, they could surprise some people.

Overall, this is at least very positive news for the Boilermakers and their fans. Davis is an extremely talented player that has all the potential in the world to be a special player, but he has to figure out his consistency issues. It will be very interesting to see what type of season he is able to put together this year.