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F DeShaun "The Diesel" Thomas (Panathinaikos - Greece)

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LitlBuck;2106269; said:
Love his effort on the offensive side of the court especially his rebounding but he must put a little more effort on the other side of the ball for him to get to the next level.
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He has to get lower on defense. He closes out too high and he's an easy target for someone with the threat of a jump shot and a passable first step.
 
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MaxBuck;2106574; said:
I do not see DeShaun's problems on defense as being primarily related to effort.
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Nor do I...not sure what his chance is of defending a quick PG off the dribble with no help. Dude is a legit 6'7-6'8 and athletic for his size, but not that athletic.
 
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Me and my friends were talking about DeShaun's pro stock. One of my buds thinks he will go pro at the end of the season no matter what. I think he won't go unless he does really good in the post season. What do you guys think?
 
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He's not on any draft boards (1st or 2nd round), so if he's dead set on playing pro ball, its gonna be in Europe.

He is not a good defender technique wise (bends at the waist too much, not in the legs), but Tuesday, the effort was lacking quite often. I think the pro scouts probably think he has enough offensive talent to play in the NBA, so its on the defensive end that he has to show he can make it. His offense is good, but not good enough where he can be a defensive liability.
 
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When you are that good of an athlete and weapon on one end of the floor, you cannot use "technique" as the excuse for his lack of defense on the other. A lot of defense comes from the will within to not let the man you are guarding get to the cup and score.

IMHO, he cares more about his offensive game than he does playing defense and it has shown up a lot in games I have watched/re-watched, especially in the last 2-3 weeks.

Despite his length, he is a good enough athlete to be a decent defender. Does he have the desire to be a good defender is the better question????


GO BUCKS!!!!!
 
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When you are that good of an athlete and weapon on one end of the floor, you cannot use "technique" as the excuse for his lack of defense on the other.
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Yet, he displays poor technique. If you are low you are more explosive. If you are high you are stationary. Thomas plays defense high. That is poor technique.

Now, it takes a lot of work to play and stay low on defense. Aaron Craft is exceptional in his willingness to do this all game long. It's not an easy position to stay in for an entire game.
 
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Lost in this discussion is the fact that the Buckeye who was abused mercilessly by Purdue was not Thomas, but Aaron Craft. I'm still scratching my head over that fact. Not sure whether it was purely a matter of Lewis Jackson's quickness, the way the game was being called, or something else entirely.
 
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i'll admit that i've been critical of deshaun, especially during his freshman season and early this year. at times, i stated that i would not post about deshan because he was so infuriating. in fact, i worried about deshaun before he stepped on campus. i've followed him for years and watched many of his hs/aau games. though i never thought that he had a prima donna mindset, i did think that his perception of his game was greater than reality, which was to be expected given his early rankings and prognostications. i worried that deshaun's eyes would be set on the big game and that he would arrive with a selfish edge that many top-level blue chips exhibit in college.

i was misguided.

deshaun has exceeded my expectations. i am truly impressed by how he has bought in to the system that matta demands. though deshaun's defense is far from perfect, i am so very pleased to see his desire to play adequate defense. yes, thomas can be a toreador at times. yes, i do think that he could hit the defensive boards with more tenacity. nonetheless, he bleeds on the court and truly wants to do right by his teammates, his coaching staff, and himself.

perhaps deshaun will leave after this season. i don't know. the decision is rightfully about finances. i think it would behoove him to return so that he could shore up his outside shot. i also think that he has a prime opportunity to be "the man" next year since sully will likely be gone. deshaun has the game not only to find a place on some team's roster, but, more importantly, he just has the preternatural feel for the game that could earn meaningful minutes and a large second contract.

again, i fully admit that deshaun has proven me a bit wrong. no, i never expected that he would fail. in fact, i fully expected that he would be the type of scorer that he is and that fans would enjoy riding the roller coaster with him. i just didn't expect that he would be so willing to give up some of his game for the benefit of the program.

deshaun has given all of himself to osu. as such, i am in for a penny and in for a pound with #1.
 
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OSU_Buckguy;2113710; said:
i'll admit that i've been critical of deshaun, especially during his freshman season and early this year. at times, i stated that i would not post about deshan because he was so infuriating. in fact, i worried about deshaun before he stepped on campus. i've followed him for years and watched many of his hs/aau games. though i never thought that he had a prima donna mindset, i did think that his perception of his game was greater than reality, which was to be expected given his early rankings and prognostications. i worried that deshaun's eyes would be set on the big game and that he would arrive with a selfish edge that many top-level blue chips exhibit in college.

i was misguided.

deshaun has exceeded my expectations. i am truly impressed by how he has bought in to the system that matta demands. though deshaun's defense is far from perfect, i am so very pleased to see his desire to play adequate defense. yes, thomas can be a toreador at times. yes, i do think that he could hit the defensive boards with more tenacity. nonetheless, he bleeds on the court and truly wants to do right by his teammates, his coaching staff, and himself.

perhaps deshaun will leave after this season. i don't know. the decision is rightfully about finances. i think it would behoove him to return so that he could shore up his outside shot. i also think that he has a prime opportunity to be "the man" next year since sully will likely be gone. deshaun has the game not only to find a place on some team's roster, but, more importantly, he just has the preternatural feel for the game that could earn meaningful minutes and a large second contract.

again, i fully admit that deshaun has proven me a bit wrong. no, i never expected that he would fail. in fact, i fully expected that he would be the type of scorer that he is and that fans would enjoy riding the roller coaster with him. i just didn't expect that he would be so willing to give up some of his game for the benefit of the program.

deshaun has given all of himself to osu. as such, i am in for a penny and in for a pound with #1.
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GPA
 
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