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

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Shooting pain
Deshaun Thomas can drive the Buckeyes nuts, but his buckets are a blessing
Originally Published: March 5, 2013
By Sarah Turcotte | ESPN The Magazine

mag_dthomas_576.jpg

Ross Dettman for ESPN the MagazineThomas is an offensive threat from anywhere on the court.

This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's March 18 One Day One Game issue. Subscribe today!

DESHAUN THOMAS IS just lying there. Bodies are flying by. The Ohio State bench, outstretched arms waving like rows of cilia, is desperately trying to will its star back on defense:

"Get up."

"DT, don't be an a--hole."

"Get up."

For the Buckeyes, this scene is all too familiar. Thomas, Ohio State's leading scorer and rebounder, can be, well, difficult. What else can you say about a player who, with his team down 68-65 and 2:26 left in a classic against then-No. 3 Michigan, is just sitting there pouting? He clanked a three-point attempt with a swarm of neon jerseys in his face and landed on his butt. Now his teammates are showing their consternation at his reaction. Heading into the game, OSU coach Thad Matta had preached transition D above all else. But how is Thomas going to transition, much less defend, with his backside glued to the hardwood?

When he finally gets up, after most of his teammates are downcourt, Thomas pulls off a semi-balletic maneuver. He sashays to his right and intercepts a Michigan outlet pass deflected by OSU junior Lenzelle Smith Jr. Then in one motion the 6'7" junior swingman lines up another three and lets it fly. Swish. Tie game.

And once again, all is forgiven.

"DT is probably the best scorer I've ever played with," says junior point guard Aaron Craft, who, like Thomas, played with two-time OSU All-American Jared Sullinger, now with the Celtics. "He's also the most frustrating. He takes shots that make us all say 'No, no, no' as they go up, and then he somehow makes them, and we're like: 'It's cool. Nice shot.'"

cont...
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http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...fficult-buckeyes-leading-scorer-espn-magazine
 
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Thomas Not Worried about Future Yet
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Deshaun Thomas pulled himself closer to the microphone. His teammates stopped whispering. They stared down the table at their star junior, waiting anxiously to hear what he was going to say.

thomas.jpg

Photo by Jim Davidson Deshaun Thomas

?I want to know too,? senior Evan Ravenel said following his final home game with the Buckeyes.

Everyone in the room wanted too. They wanted to know whether it was not only Ravenel?s last game at Value City Arena, but also Thomas, who passed up the possibility of being drafted a year ago to return for his junior season at Ohio State.

?We?ll think about that decision at the end of the tournament,? Thomas said after clearing his throat and smiling.

?Right now, there?s a lot more basketball left.?

cont...
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http://www.theozone.net/hoops/12-13Men/Illinois/ThomasNotWorriedAboutFuture.html
 
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I know it's not going to happen but it'd be great to see him come back next year and be a team leader again, and break the alltime school scoring record. Deshaun breaking the scoring record & Craft breaking the alltime assist record in the same season would be pretty cool.
 
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Maturity Helps Thomas Overcome Early Benching
By Brandon Castel

CHICAGO ? Deshaun Thomas knows a lot about himself. He knows he loves to score the basketball. He knows he has to work harder at his defense and that he is prone to mental lapses.

He also knows how the younger version of Deshaun Thomas would have handled being sent to the bench early in a game. Especially a Big Ten Tournament game like the one Ohio State played Friday night against Nebraska.

?I probably would have flipped,? he said before breaking into laughter.

?I probably would have threw some chairs around or still been talking on the bench. I probably would have had my feet out, leaning back in my chair.?

cont...
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http://www.the-ozone.net/hoops/12-13Men/postseason/BTT/Thomas_Maturity.html
 
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He has struggled with his shooting recently, but he still impressed me making a big shot against MSU and he's also rebounding pretty well.

I think the one thing he needs to do for the tournament is just be a little more patient. I want him to take open looks, but I really wish he'd start off games driving to the basket and taking shorter shots so he get in a rhythm and then attempt some 3s later in the game.

With Ross and Thompson really stepping up, he doesn't have to push and try to score 25+ every game. If he just becomes more efficient in the tournament, this team will keep improving and it will give them a great chance every game.
 
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Just to add to the way too early speculation. Deshaun is now 33% from 3pt range. I'm having a hard time seeing him getting drafted with that. Early this season I think we was right at 40%. If he is not hitting 3's he needs to try to work his way closer to the basket.
 
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OhioState001;2316668; said:
Just to add to the way too early speculation. Deshaun is now 33% from 3pt range. I'm having a hard time seeing him getting drafted with that. Early this season I think we was right at 40%. If he is not hitting 3's he needs to try to work his way closer to the basket.
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To be fair, he rarely gets more than 3 good, uncontested looks at a 3 these days. Also, I think his legs are tired from carrying the offense for so much of the season.
 
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NastyNatiBuck;2316857; said:
To be fair, he rarely gets more than 3 good, uncontested looks at a 3 these days. Also, I think his legs are tired from carrying the offense for so much of the season.
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If he was a high leaper when it comes to his jumpers, I'd agree. But he really isn't. I think it's just a shooting slump. A week off will help him re-adjust and find the range again.
 
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I think Thomas is also expending much more energy on the defensive end these days, which is a great thing, but may take a bit out of him on the offensive side. But he has really, really made strides defensively the past few weeks.
 
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