Oscar Cluff showed he's 'good all-around player' at NBA draft workout, credits Purdue basketball

Oscar Cluff joined Purdue men’s basketball to elevate his game en route to his professional career.

>The competition – national champion Michigan, Final Four teams Illinois and Arizona and several others in a tough Big Ten – provided a platform to showcase his pro potential.

>After Thursday’s pre-draft workout with the Golden State Warriors, Cluff also name-dropped the other side of those competitions. When asked what about his one season as a Boilermaker made him a better NBA prospect, the 6-foot-10 center credited Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn.

>“Just playing with guys like Braden, Fletch and TK, you know, they’re all elite, high-level players – NBA players,” Cluff said. “Being able to play with them and learn from them and just fitting my game in between theirs really progressed me a lot for the NBA level.”

>Cluff has been working out in Phoenix in preparation for whatever professional opportunities lie ahead. He said he plans to attend next week’s adidas Eurocamp in Italy.

>At one point last season, Cluff considered pursuing an extra year of eligibility. He told IndyStar in February he would likely spend that season at Purdue. The concept always hinged on the outcome of other eligibility cases already in the works.

>If some ruling opened the door for Cluff to jump on, he would consider it. That never happened, and he didn't desire to initiate his own potentially protracted legal process.

>“I always said it’d be nice to have another year, but sometimes when it’s done, it’s done,” Cluff said.

>“You can chase that ... and you try to change the rules and get around little things. It’s not something I needed to die on, if that makes sense, where college isn’t the be-all, end-all.”

>

Cluff closed his final season as a Boilermaker strong, including some memorable performances en route to the Big Ten Tournament championship. He finished the season with the nation’s second-highest efficiency rating per KenPom while also ranking sixth in offensive rebounding percentage.

>He filled his role as a back-to-the-basket big man who could help turbo-charge Purdue’s rebounding.

>“He’s a good all-around player,” said Michigan State’s Carson Cooper, who also participated in Thursday’s workout. “He’s strong, physical. Australian-made, so he’s got that toughness in him over there.”

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>The NBA, though, wants more. Cluff doesn’t need scouts’ feedback to know where he needs to focus.

>He did not attempt a 3-pointer after taking only seven attempts (making five) over his first two Division I seasons. He will see even more mobile bigs at the professional level and must show improvement when defending on the perimeter and handling ball screens.

>Cluff also knows his selling points. He won 75 games with Washington State, South Dakota State and Purdue, which he helped beat Michigan in that Big Ten Tournament championship game and reach the Elite Eight. He kept his turnover rate low and posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.

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>He only spent one season at Purdue, but if he gets an NBA chance, he gives Matt Painter and assistant Brandon Brantley some of the credit.

>“Everything they do is professional,” Cluff said. “Everything they do has prepared me for the next step. I’m super grateful they’re so elite in what they do.”

>Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar's Boilermakers newsletter.

>This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball's Oscar Cluff gets NBA draft workout, exhausted eligibility