Why is Purdue's C.J. Cox thriving on defense? "That’s something I value”

How do you measure C.J. Cox’s defensive value?

It goes beyond numbers.

During Wednesday’s win over Washington, the sophomore didn’t record a steal but impacted the game on defense, helping the Boilermakers score the first nine points by disrupting the Huskies’ offense. Last week at Wisconsin, Cox recorded three steals, visual evidence of his contributions and how they translated to the offensive end.

Through the first half of Purdue’s season, Cox has established himself as one of the team’s defensive leaders – and one of the best defenders in the Big Ten.

Just watch him operate.

He’s the team’s best on-ball defender. His hands are active without fouling. He’s physical at the point of attack. He has the ability to force opponents into tough shots and is quick enough to cut off drives. He has a knack for making opposing players feel uncomfortable. His assignment usually includes the other team’s top perimeter scorer.

“Being able to play defense and guarding one of their best guys allows you to be involved in the end-of-the-game situations when the team needs you, and that’s something that I want to do, especially with this team now,” Cox said.

He’s embraced his defensive role, and it didn’t start when he arrived on campus. Go back several years to a conversation between Cecil Cox and his son that helped shape the mindset you see today.

“My dad was someone who emphasized defense, and said, ‘Defense wins championships,” the sophomore said. “I emphasized it, and that’s when I incorporated that into my game a lot. That’s something I value.”

TAKES PRIDE IN DEFENSE

An identity was born, and Cox hasn’t strayed from his approach. That philosophy quickly earned the trust of his coaches throughout his career, including Matt Painter.

“I’m someone who takes pride in playing defense, and I feel like me playing well on defense and guarding the ball helps others on my team, knowing that if I’m able to stop their best guy, things will flow smoothly,” Cox said.

With a 14-1 record for the third time in the last four seasons, the fifth-ranked Boilermakers are continuing to move forward, riding a six-game winning streak ahead of Saturday’s matchup against Penn State.

Cox is an integral part of what Painter and the Boilermakers want to accomplish defensively. His desire and ability to jam the basketball in one-on-one situations on the perimeter help set the tone.

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“From Day 1, he came in and did his job on both ends of the floor and won the starting spot,” assistant coach Paul Lusk said. “Last year, we threw him to the wolves, and he met that challenge. He’s gotten better, and he does a good job for us defensively.”

Switching is part of Painter’s defensive philosophy, but that often takes Cox away from the other team’s top scorer. But Painter and his staff go “back and forth a lot” on whether to keep the matchup or knock out the offensive action.

“I go round and round on that question when it comes to perimeter guys because now you want to keep your matchup, then sometimes when you keep your matchup, they score on the action,” Painter said. “We switch some actions, and we knock it out, but now we don’t have the matchup that we want. There’s a downside, no matter what.”

There are numbers that help shape Cox’s season on defense.

According to Synergy Basketball, a leading sports technology company that provides in-depth analytics, Cox’s top three individual skills are off-screen defense, 3-point shots defended, and pick-and-roll defense. Cox is better than 84% of defenders in off-screen defense, 83% in defending 3-pointers, and 80% in defending pick-and-rolls.

GROWTH FROM FRESHMAN SEASON

Cox faced typical freshman challenges of inconsistent play, trying to guard against his offense affecting his defense, and dealing with bigger and stronger players. That experience has laid the foundation for what everyone sees this season.

Last year, Cox was disappointed he wasn’t as sound defensively, reaching with his hands, but he’s improved his fundamentals and focuses on his footwork. He moves his feet more and is mindful of the player he’s guarding and where the ball is on the court. He’s more active in the passing lanes, collecting deflections, a number that is not part of the official box score but prevalent inside the locker room.

“I feel like it’s a stat that not a lot of people talk about, but it’s very important,” Cox said. “I feel like a lot of people on our team do that really well, like Braden (Smith), Gicarri (Harris), Fletcher (Loyer), just being able to get in the passing lanes and be disruptive.”

Said Lusk: “C.J. has made improvements, but last year, we were not very solid across the board. We’ve made improvements, so now getting everybody to just do their job.”

Those improvements include better rim protection from the addition of Oscar Cluff and the return of Daniel Jacobsen.

The Boilermakers are stronger defensively since they’ve forced opponents further away from the basket, according to kenpom.com’s latest statistic – average 2-point attempt distance. Purdue is top five nationally in forcing opponents 7.5 feet away from the basket. Michigan leads the country at 8.0.

“HE’S STEADY, HE’S CONSISTENT”

While the numbers are geared to reveal what’s happening inside, the perimeter defense benefits. With Cluff and Jacobsen inside, Cox and the rest of the guards are more aggressive on the defensive end, knowing there’s protection in the lane.

“I feel like comparing this year to last year, our defense has definitely been improving,” Cox said. “Now that we have Oscar and Daniel, we have bigger guys in the paint and more shot blockers. That’s been beneficial for us.

“And I feel like all the guards have done a good job defending the perimeter, and I feel like that’s helped us a lot. That’s one of the reasons why our defense has gone up in the ratings.”

Let’s not lose sight of Cox’s contributions on the offensive end.

He’s averaging 10.7 points, shooting 46.7% and is 9 of 22 from 3-point range in the last four games. Cox also hasn’t committed a turnover since the Nov. 28 win over Eastern Illinois, a stretch of eight games.

What happens on the offensive end is normally a result of what Cox is doing on defense.

“He came in, and he’s just fit in right away,” Lusk said. “The moment never seems to be too big for him. He’s steady, he’s consistent and doesn’t get too high or too low.”