The Purdue Boilermakers had a lot to replace this year with the graduation of Zach Edey. A week into the season, they had found the ultimate answer in Daniel Jacobsen. Like Edey, Jacobsen is another talented giant who found his way to West Lafayette. That journey has seemed to hit a massive hiccup already. As the Boilermakers were taking care of business during their second game of the season against Northern Kentucky, Jacobsen went down clutching at his leg. It turns out the Jacobsen injury is far worse than initially thought.
You never wish a major leg injury on anyone especially someone as young and talented as Jacobsen. Sure, when the injury happened, it didn’t look like a moment where he would be out for the season. It turns out further tests said otherwise.
Jacobsen Injury Has Purdue Boilermakers in a Tough Spot
The worst part about Jacobsen’s injury is that it happened one minute into the game last Friday night. As the below video shows, it was just a case of a freak moment. Sometimes it just happens, but when it did, the Mackey Arena crowd went dead silent.
Purdue big man, Daniel Jacobsen is helped off the court after a lower leg injury pic.twitter.com/SX7QCVGNXw
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 9, 2024
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He was helped off the floor by his teammates, but you could tell something wasn’t right, as he couldn’t put any weight on his leg. The team was able to still keep things going against a much inferior opponent, but it wasn’t clear what the extent of Jacobsen’s injury was.
The weekend passed, and as the Boilers were preparing for their next game against the Yale Bulldogs, the dreaded news finally came out. Early reports revealed that Jacobsen had suffered a fractured tibia.
The Boilermakers’ 7-foot big man, Daniel Jacobsen, is out for the season, Matt Painter announces. pic.twitter.com/zrC8uD8LbY
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 10, 2024
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Coach Matt Painter looked pretty grim during his press conference following practice on Sunday. Painter confirmed the injury, and that Jacobsen will be out for the 2024-25 season, as he told the IndyStar.
“You don’t want to say it’s for the year, but I would think so,” Painter said. ” You would like it to be around to two-to-four months, but I think it’s probably closer to four to six months.”
In doing so it was also confirmed, that Jacobsen will take a medical redshirt, preserving his four seasons of eligibility. That is some big news despite the unfortunate injury. The question now is who does Purdue turn to?
Who Do the Boilers Turn To?
Purdue has plenty of unproven guys that could see the floor in Jacobsen’s absence. The easiest solution would be to have Trey Kaufman-Renn move to the five a play small ball. However, knowing Coach Painter, that won’t be the team’s route. Purdue has another seven-plus footer in Will Berg, but he hasn’t shown much upside in the sparing minutes he has seen the floor. Jacobsen gave the Boilermakers a legit rim protector, just like Edey was. Now they have to make changes to adjust. I’m not saying they can’t, but this puts a whole lot more pressure on guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer.
TKR, Berg, and Caleb Furst are going to have to step up. Perhaps this is Furst’s chance to regain some playing time. He came to West Lafayette as a center but got moved to the four with Edey being the man in the middle. I’m not a coach, but small ball might be the way to go. Kaufman-Renn has shown plenty of promise and he looks ready to be used as a feature piece in the post.
Jacobsen Will Come back Stronger
It’s a rough thing to see, but Jacobsen was oozing with confidence, especially after his debut. He had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Sure it’s going to be a long season without him on the floor, but there is no doubt that Jacobsen will come back stronger. Getting the proper time to heal and recover is huge. Sure, many will think he could’ve come back come March Madness. In reality, losing Jacobsen for the season might be a blessing in disguise. Purdue has some early growing pains to deal, with but they have shown they can overcome adversity in the past. Time will tell if the Jacobsen injury deters the Boilermakers from once again standing atop the Big Ten.
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