![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2258589617.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2014 Braden Smith scrolls through the videos on his phone, looking for one of his favorite assists from a practice last season. He keeps some of his best saved, like a hunter hanging deer heads on the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is honestly probably one of my best passes I\u2019ve ever thrown,\u201d he says, and turns his phone.<\/p>\n
Smith, with his back to the baseline, cups the ball in his right hand as 7-foot-2 center Will Berg sets a screen on the left side of the floor, and before Smith even clears the big man\u2019s shoulder, he whips a pass around Berg to the opposite side of the floor, hitting Gicarri Harris in the shooting pocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know in \u2018(NBA)2K\u2019 when you get a green release, and you\u2019re like, \u2018That\u2019s in, swish?\u2019\u201d Smith asks. \u201cThat\u2019s how it felt with the pass when it came off my hand. Green release.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith, the Purdue senior point guard, enters Friday\u2019s NCAA Tournament first-round game against Queens just one assist away from tying Duke great Bobby Hurley\u2019s Division I men\u2019s assists record. Recently, I watched every assist from Smith\u2019s career, and picked some favorites to show Smith and get inside the mind of one of college basketball\u2019s greatest passers ever.<\/p>\n
Smith said he never goes back to watch his old clips \u2014 maybe he\u2019s saving his favorites because someday he will \u2014 but his recall is perfect.<\/p>\n
He has 1,075 assists, and he remembers them all.<\/p>\n
Assist No. 15<\/p>\n
Nov. 25, 2022 vs. Gonzaga (in Portland, Ore.)<\/p>\n
Smith arrived at Purdue at the perfect time. Zach Edey was ready to become the most dominant center in the modern era of college hoops. A back-to-back National Player of the Year. A giant 7-foot-4 target. A point guard\u2019s dream, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m going to be honest,\u201d Smith says, \u201che\u2019s harder to throw it to than really anybody else I\u2019ve thrown the ball to.\u201d<\/p>\n
It took Smith a few games to feel comfortable feeding Edey. He\u2019d never played with anyone that big and his high school team ran mostly pick-and-roll. Smith was experiencing something he\u2019s rarely felt on a basketball court \u2014 hesitancy.<\/p>\n
Then Purdue coach Matt Painter gave him a pointer: Throw it as fast as you can and hit him right in the forehead. If he misses it once, he won\u2019t miss it again.<\/p>\n
Smith got his first post assist to Edey in the fourth game of his freshman season, in the opening round of the Phil Knight Legacy in Portland against West Virginia. The pass was off target, but Edey snagged it with one hand.<\/p>\n
That earned some trust, and the next day Smith really put the big fella to the test. It was Smith\u2019s first game against a Top 25 team \u2014 sixth-ranked Gonzaga \u2014 and Smith was introducing himself to the college basketball world. He\u2019d finish with 14 points and seven dimes in a 84-66 win for the 24th-ranked Boilermakers. Late in the game, his confidence growing by the minute, Smith saw some open space in transition and saw Gonzaga wing Julian Strawther\u2019s hips open.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anybody\u2019s in front of me like that, I\u2019m getting around him,\u201d Smith says, \u201cbecause I\u2019m gonna use my speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once Smith got past Strawther and saw Edey\u2019s man, Ben Gregg, had committed to stopping him \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like a flow state,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I pass those no-looks, it\u2019s like I see them, but I don\u2019t. It\u2019s just that conscious feeling of knowing that he\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith missed the forehead, but the chin works, too.<\/p>\n
Assist No. 24<\/p>\n
Nov. 30, 2022 at Florida State<\/p>\n
Before every Purdue game, Smith has walk-on Aaron Fine stand on one sideline and he goes to the other. Then he starts throwing passes. Two hands. One hand. Different arm angles and body contortions. Growing up in Westfield, Ind., he used to take his little brother to the court in their backyard and place him in different spots as he\u2019d experiment with new passes.<\/p>\n
As soon as I hit play, and Smith sees the big Florida State Seminole at half court, he knows what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrew it to Caleb (Furst) in the corner,\u201d he says. \u201cI have this one on my phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith claims he has only two or three saved. I suspect there are a few more.<\/p>\n
Most of his assists he\u2019s unimpressed with, but this one against the Seminoles was special. It was one of the first times he really uncorked one of those passes that make him him. Smith is only 5-foot-11, but his wingspan is 6-4 1\/2. He used to get made fun of because when he\u2019d rest his arms at his side, his fingertips would reach his knees. But that wingspan allows him to complete passes past the outstretched arms of taller defenders \u2014 passes it doesn\u2019t seem like someone his size should be able to deliver.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, you gotta have confidence with it,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause sometimes it doesn\u2019t work. Sometimes I\u2019ll throw it like that and it goes in the fourth row.\u201d<\/p>\n
This was one of those green releases. Once Smith saw Furst\u2019s man slide over to the paint to discourage a post feed to Edey, Smith fired a bullet over 6-foot-6 Jalen Warley\u2019s head that covered nearly 60 feet right to Furst.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think he had to move his hands,\u201d Smith says proudly. \u201cRight in the pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assist No. 177<\/p>\n
Nov. 13, 2023 vs. Xavier<\/p>\n
A point guard is taught certain rules at a young age. Always keep your head up. Never get caught in a corner. And do not jump to pass, especially if you don\u2019t have a plan when your feet leave the floor.<\/p>\n
Smith breaks that last rule a lot. Why?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a gambler,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Painter tells Smith to use his instincts. Sometimes it doesn\u2019t work out. Freshman year at Indiana, his first time in the rivalry game. Boilers down 3, under a minute to go. Smith drove toward the basket and left the ground, floating over the baseline and eyeing the baseline drift. IU\u2019s Race Thompson read it perfectly and Smith didn\u2019t have a second option.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey won the game because of that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Usually, Smith has multiple options when he leaves the floor. On this one at Xavier, Smith jumps because that takes one defender away; Quincy Olivari meets him at the rim to try to block Smith\u2019s shot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honestly reading that out guy (No. 1 Desmond Claude),\u201d Smith explains. \u201cWho\u2019s he going to? He\u2019s drifting down and Morty (Ethan Morton) was open, so that\u2019s my read.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember Morty making that 3 because he wasn\u2019t actually a 3-point shooter. When it went in, I was like, \u2018Hell yeah, give me my assist.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Braden Smith has 50 of his 1,075 assists against rival Indiana (Justin Casterline \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Assist No. 270<\/p>\n
Jan. 16, 2024 at Indiana<\/p>\n
Smith ranked 198th in his recruiting class and wasn\u2019t recruited by any high-majors until Jameel Brown backed out of his commitment to Purdue to follow former Purdue assistant Micah Shrewsberry to Penn State. Painter had heard about Smith from Purdue\u2019s previous all-time assist leader, Bruce Parkinson, and Smith was one of five point guards Painter considered once Brown decommitted. Smith was the lowest-ranked, but Painter\u2019s favorite.<\/p>\n
Had Penn State not hired Shrewsberry, Smith might have ended up at a mid-major. Undersized and overlooked.<\/p>\n
The reason Smith is so close to breaking this record is that he was able to start right away. The two point guards from the 2021-22 season had both transferred when he arrived. But Smith knew he was going to be the starter no matter who was up for the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was going to out-compete whoever it was,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
That confidence \u2014 combined with a little chip on his shoulder \u2014 is on display as the tape rolls from his first win against Indiana, his sophomore year.<\/p>\n
The Hoosiers were trying to mix their ball screen coverage and on this particular play, Kel\u2019el Ware hard-hedged and gambled for a steal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just thought it was funny that they thought they could get me,\u201d Smith says. \u201cThey thought a 7-footer could steal it from a point guard. Which obviously, he\u2019s very talented. He\u2019s in the NBA, on the Heat \u2014 but come on. They both thought they had that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It did take Smith\u2019s best Curly Neal impression to get away from Ware and Gabe Cupps, and then he froze Malik Reneau by looking at Trey Kaufman-Renn in the corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at Trey,\u201d Smith says. \u201cTrey thinks he\u2019s getting it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how Smith knows his eyes did the job. So why does he deliver the pass underhanded?<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if I just throw it with a chest pass, they\u2019re going to steal it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assist No. 439<\/p>\n
April 8, 2024 vs. UConn (in Glendale, Ariz.)<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have the one from the national championship,\u201d Smith asks, \u201cwhere I threw the lob to Zach and he dunked on (Donovan) Clingan?\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith loves this one because it\u2019s the art of deception.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou act like you\u2019re shooting the layup and you see him, and if he\u2019s coming to block, that\u2019s when you change last second,\u201d he says. \u201cYou just throw the lob instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one of my favorite ones to throw, because I think people assume that I\u2019m shooting it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Smith narrates, any time he gets excited about a pass, he drops a \u201cthen, boom.\u201d<\/p>\n
This one got the boom.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was cool,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s ever seen anything like that before. I was just glad it got there to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assist No. 648<\/p>\n
Feb. 7, 2025 vs. USC<\/p>\n
Watch enough of Smith and see how often he completes his jump passes, and you come away convinced he knows exactly what he\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n
This one to Myles Colvin is one of those passes.<\/p>\n
Smith could have passed it as soon as he got to the elbow and just delivered a simple chest pass to Colvin. Why doesn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n
\u201cJust the angle,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause I thought he was kind of up on his line. He can get there to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
But then, an admission.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t even thinking pass at that point, I\u2019m not gonna lie. I was shooting it. And then I saw him help at the last second. I think I have really good peripheral vision of being able to see that like I can. I was going up and shooting it, and that\u2019s when I saw him right here in the corner of my eye, and \u2026 That was one of those passes. Green release. Right in his pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2195198472.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Braden Smith often gets in the air for jump passes, but he usually has a plan. (Justin Casterline \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Assist No. 671<\/p>\n
Feb. 15, 2025 vs. Wisconsin<\/p>\n
During the summers when Edey was still at Purdue, he and Smith used to be on separate teams in pickup games and Kaufman-Renn would play center for Smith\u2019s squad. Because Edey was such a deterrent at the rim, Smith started hitting Kaufman-Renn on the short roll, and that\u2019s where Kaufman-Renn\u2019s patented mid-range push shot was born.<\/p>\n
Kaufman-Renn was skilled enough that Smith could hit him with the pocket pass and allow Kaufman-Renn to become the decision-maker in space, either shooting his push shot or finding an open teammate.<\/p>\n
They got so good at it the summer before their junior season that Painter and offensive coordinator PJ Thompson made the action one of the staples of the offense.<\/p>\n
Smith knows the exact moment to deliver the pass.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe funny part about Braden is he hates when I pass it,\u201d Kaufman-Renn says. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t want the hockey assist. He\u2019s always rooting for me to shoot it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean it\u2019s fine,\u201d Smith says when asked about the hockey assist. \u201cIt\u2019s fine. It\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
He adds: \u201cI\u2019d rather him shoot it, but I mean, he\u2019s making the right read.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ideally, Smith creates a situation where Kaufman-Renn doesn\u2019t have that option.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an opening initially for Smith to hit Furst, but \u2026 \u201cIt\u2019s Caleb,\u201d he says, a nice way of saying that\u2019s not his specialty. A great point guard always knows his teammates\u2019 strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n
Smith also knows that once Furst exits to the other side of the floor, it\u2019ll be an empty-side pick-and-roll with Kaufman-Renn.<\/p>\n
And with no defender in front of him, he has no option but to go score and get Smith the assist.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I throw it,\u201d he says. \u201cC\u2019mon brother. Just shoot it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assist No. 771<\/p>\n
Nov. 7, 2025 vs. Oakland<\/p>\n
\u201cAll those crazy passes he throws \u2014 between the legs, behind the back \u2014 he completes them at a really high rate,\u201d Loyer says.<\/p>\n
The wildest pass Loyer has ever seen Smith deliver came against Arizona their sophomore year. The Wildcats were ranked No. 1, and the third-ranked Boilermakers had a 7-point lead as the clock hit one minute left. Smith, as he approached Arizona 7-footer Oumar Ballo, cradled the ball in his right hand and bounced the ball between his legs to a rolling Edey at the free throw line. Edey didn\u2019t score, but got fouled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just ridiculous because of the time and score of the game,\u201d Loyer says.<\/p>\n
The stakes were much lower in the second game of the season this year, but Smith one-upped the absurdity when Loyer passed to Smith just past half court and Smith had one guy to beat to the basket. When he sped past that one defender, it appeared he was headed for a layup.<\/p>\n
He had other plans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one,\u201d Loyer says as he saw it pop up on the screen, \u201che threw me something crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got mad at me for not shooting the 3,\u201d Loyer says. \u201cI\u2019m like, dude, you threw me a wicked behind-the-neck pass. I was just worried about catching it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The over-the-shoulder pass is not one he invented, but to try one over that distance?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll give myself some credit here,\u201d Smith says. \u201cI actually don\u2019t know how I got that there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assist No. 803<\/p>\n
Nov. 20, 2025 vs. Memphis (in Nassau, Bahamas)<\/p>\n
When Smith gets comfortable, he\u2019s bound to try a pass no one is expecting. That happened early this season against Memphis.<\/p>\n
The Boilermakers set up a staggered ball screen, the first screen intended to get a switch. Smith paused to allow the defender to square him up. Oscar Cluff doesn\u2019t set a great screen, but his defender has already made up his mind to hedge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m waiting to see what he does,\u201d Smith says of Cluff\u2019s defender.<\/p>\n
Had Cluff set a better screen, it would have been ideal for a pocket pass. But there\u2019s no window there and Smith is so far pushed up the floor, he wouldn\u2019t dare try to hit Cluff on the long roll \u2026 would he?<\/p>\n
Smith says the logical move is to follow the big with the dribble and \u201ckind of snake my way through there.\u201d But Smith sees a window, and\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just gonna bowl it into him,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Yes, like a bowling ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cI gotta be ready for anything and everything,\u201d Cluff says. \u201cWhen he\u2019s got the ball, I have to keep my eyes on it even when I\u2019m not expecting passes. He\u2019s gotten me a couple of times when he\u2019s thrown it to me and I wasn\u2019t even ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assist No. 827<\/p>\n
Dec. 2, 2025 at Rutgers<\/p>\n
The summer is when Smith tries stuff, and this past summer, he started throwing behind-the-back passes coming off a ball screen when the big showed and the guard got hit by the screen, creating the perfect window. Smith had one against Texas Tech. Then the next game, he had two behind-the-back feeds in transition against Eastern Illinois.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s honestly like a drug,\u201d he says. \u201cYou do it once, it\u2019s like, OK, now just keep doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The opportunity arrived again in the Big Ten opener against Rutgers.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Cluff\u2019s got behind Trey\u2019s defender \u2014 Trey is at half court and No. 9 right there, he\u2019s behind him now,\u201d Smith narrates. \u201cSo that means a guard has to stop a 7-footer at the rim.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019m just getting it to him early right there at that (Big Ten) logo. I thought that one was impressive, because he actually tried to steal it and I threw it literally perfectly in front of him. That honestly might be one of my best ones. That felt perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2252288899.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Braden Smith has double-digit assists in 16 of Purdue\u2019s 35 games this season. (Michael Hickey \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Assist No. 860<\/p>\n
Dec. 20, 2025 vs. Auburn (in Indianapolis)<\/p>\n
Smith is one of the only players who throws bounce passes from above his head.<\/p>\n
If Smith puts the ball above his head, he explains, a defender is going to assume he\u2019s trying to go high and that creates a low window.<\/p>\n
This one against Auburn is one of my favorites, because of the absurdity of the length of the bounce pass and how quickly Smith dissects that he has an advantage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Cluff has him in the paint that deep, you gotta give him the ball,\u201d Smith says. \u201cTheir five\u2019s on our four, and their four\u2019s on our five. And there\u2019s no help. Look, everybody\u2019s \u2014 one, two, three \u2014 those guys don\u2019t even know I threw it in. Well, those two do, but he had no clue. (Smith\u2019s point at No. 1.) That\u2019s honestly his help. That\u2019s him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoom, bounce pass. That\u2019s really it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assist No. 991<\/p>\n
Feb. 20, 2026 vs. Indiana<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a shooter, you\u2019re always trying to get in the vision of the passer,\u201d Loyer says. \u201cBut with a guy like Braden, you\u2019re just trying to find the open window. He doesn\u2019t even need to see you. It\u2019s different. A lot of times you think he doesn\u2019t even see you, but if you\u2019re open, he\u2019ll find you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indiana was one of those nights Loyer was feeling it. He made 4-of-4 3s, all set up by Smith.<\/p>\n
The final one plays on the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Fletcher hit a 3 right before this one?\u201d Smith asks. (He did.) \u201cOK, so it\u2019s back-to-back. I\u2019m aware of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith narrates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to get as low as I can and use the screen. (Conor) Enright was holding me though. He was just making sure I couldn\u2019t (get low), so I went between. He bit on it, spin, instinct. No one\u2019s down there. I really had a layup.\u201d<\/p>\n
So why not shoot it?<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew I wasn\u2019t shooting the layup,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t shoot layups.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why is that?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a low percentage shot,\u201d Smith explains. \u201cI just don\u2019t. Why would I shoot a contested layup over a big guy, or a guy that\u2019s a shot blocker? It just doesn\u2019t make sense. If he\u2019s jumping to contest my shot, why not throw it to his guy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith estimates he\u2019s thrown 900 of these that haven\u2019t gone in, but he trusts his shooters to make shots. And the math usually works in his favor. That\u2019s how a man ends up with 1,000-plus assists.<\/p>\n
Assist No. 1,077 (the record breaker)<\/p>\n
To be determined<\/p>\n
Simply winning is Smith\u2019s main focus this month. But he has had time to imagine the scenario when he breaks it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would be cool to get it to Trey just because that was my first assist, and would be not necessarily the last, but the record breaker,\u201d he says. \u201cI think that would be really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
What kind of pass?<\/p>\n
\u201cGotta be the short roll, man,\u201d he says with a smile. \u201cPocket pass to the floater. Gotta end on that. I think that\u2019d be sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
A green release. Saved right to the phone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2014 Braden Smith scrolls through the videos on his phone, looking for one of his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668649,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3723],"tags":[7,217,354,231,772,1544,12513],"class_list":{"0":"post-668648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-college-basketball","10":"tag-mens-college-basketball","11":"tag-ncaa","12":"tag-ncaa-basketball","13":"tag-ncaab","14":"tag-purdue-boilermakers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116261464628517914","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}