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

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John (Columbus)

Can you explain why Deshaun Thomas would not be drafted highly? He seems to be able to score from anywhere on the floor and his defense has improved. Isn't the NBA looking for versatile athletes that can score?

Chad Ford

He's not a great athlete. He's a bit of a tweener and he is a porous defender. No one doubts his scoring ability. It's all the other stuff that scares NBA scouts.
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http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/47497/nba-insider-chad-ford

The Sweet 16's most indispensable players
March, 26, 2013
By Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com

5. Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State. Ohio State's 10-game winning streak since mid-February has been powered by two things: (A) an improvement from "very good" to "downright horrifying" team defense, and (B) a marked increase in secondary scoring contributions from Sam Thompson, Lenzelle Smith, LaQuinton Ross and Aaron Craft. But let's not forget that "secondary" infers a primary, in this case Thomas. For most of the season, Thomas did almost all of the Buckeyes' offensive work (my personal favorite was a loss at Michigan State, when he scored 28 points and no other Buckeye scored more than six), and usually excelled no matter what kind of defensive pressure opposing defenses applied. He took 32.3 percent of his team's shots this season, went 50 percent from inside the arc and 35 percent outside it (and 83.6 percent from the free throw line) and, despite all of those possessions, almost never turns the ball over. Even now, as Ross flashes his immense potential and Thompson goes hunting dunks and Craft pulls last-second 3s out of whatever place Craft comes up with those sorts of things, trying to imagine the Buckeyes without Thomas is difficult. He's a baseline need. Without him, they'd be lost.
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http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebask...41/the-sweet-16s-most-indispensable-players-2
 
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You don't have to watch the NBA, and the reality is Ford is right.

Deshaun should carve out a role to last him at least a few years in the NBA as a 6th or 7th man. I see his best role as a volume scorer off the bench, similar to the roles that JR Smith/Jamal Crawford/Ben Gordon play on their teams. However, his body type is obviously very different than those 3, which may result in him not having the quickness to create space to get his shot off that they all rely upon. He's obviously bigger than they are, with a different offensive game, but at 6'7 he can be guarded effectively by most SFs in the NBA, which will mean he won't have much if any of a size advantage and will likely be at a quickness disadvantage. I think it's obvious he'll score, but will he be able to score enough and efficiently enough to be a primary bench scorer or will he have to be a team's secondary bench scorer? There's a whole lot of value in the former and not nearly as much, but still some, in the latter.

Defensively, he's not big/long enough to effectively guard most NBA PFs and not quick enough to guard most NBA SFs, which is the primary reason I don't think he'll be able to start. If he plays on a second unit you can match him up against whichever of those 2 positions is a lesser offensive threat to hide him a bit, but most NBA starters at those positions will eat him up.

I'd love to see him prove me wrong, and I'll be rooting for him all the same, but I think that's the NBA ceiling.
 
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BengalsAndBucks;2320851; said:
You don't have to watch the NBA, and the reality is Ford is right.

Deshaun should carve out a role to last him at least a few years in the NBA as a 6th or 7th man. I see his best role as a volume scorer off the bench, similar to the roles that JR Smith/Jamal Crawford/Ben Gordon play on their teams. However, his body type is obviously very different than those 3, which may result in him not having the quickness to create space to get his shot off that they all rely upon. He's obviously bigger than they are, with a different offensive game, but at 6'7 he can be guarded effectively by most SFs in the NBA, which will mean he won't have much if any of a size advantage and will likely be at a quickness disadvantage. I think it's obvious he'll score, but will he be able to score enough and efficiently enough to be a primary bench scorer or will he have to be a team's secondary bench scorer? There's a whole lot of value in the former and not nearly as much, but still some, in the latter.

Defensively, he's not big/long enough to effectively guard most NBA PFs and not quick enough to guard most NBA SFs, which is the primary reason I don't think he'll be able to start. If he plays on a second unit you can match him up against whichever of those 2 positions is a lesser offensive threat to hide him a bit, but most NBA starters at those positions will eat him up.

I'd love to see him prove me wrong, and I'll be rooting for him all the same, but I think that's the NBA ceiling.
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thanks for telling me i don't have to watch the nba as i no longer do. I feel Thomas can and will find a role in the league but then again I have been wrong many times before.
 
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BengalsAndBucks said:
You don't have to watch the NBA, and the reality is Ford is right.

Deshaun should carve out a role to last him at least a few years in the NBA as a 6th or 7th man. I see his best role as a volume scorer off the bench, similar to the roles that JR Smith/Jamal Crawford/Ben Gordon play on their teams. However, his body type is obviously very different than those 3, which may result in him not having the quickness to create space to get his shot off that they all rely upon. He's obviously bigger than they are, with a different offensive game, but at 6'7 he can be guarded effectively by most SFs in the NBA, which will mean he won't have much if any of a size advantage and will likely be at a quickness disadvantage. I think it's obvious he'll score, but will he be able to score enough and efficiently enough to be a primary bench scorer or will he have to be a team's secondary bench scorer? There's a whole lot of value in the former and not nearly as much, but still some, in the latter.

Defensively, he's not big/long enough to effectively guard most NBA PFs and not quick enough to guard most NBA SFs, which is the primary reason I don't think he'll be able to start. If he plays on a second unit you can match him up against whichever of those 2 positions is a lesser offensive threat to hide him a bit, but most NBA starters at those positions will eat him up.

I'd love to see him prove me wrong, and I'll be rooting for him all the same, but I think that's the NBA ceiling.
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I do not think that he is a good fit for the NBA. You have addressed many of the reasons why. He is not quick enough to guard a #2 or #3 position in the NBA and he has not physically strong enough to handle a #4 guy. In addition, I do not know if he can create his own shot or not. I have never seen him dribble very much with his right hand. He is predominately a left-handed player.

I know that there are some mocks out there that have him going very late in the first round but, personally, I just did not see it. As I have mentioned a couple times previously, I take his game is better suited for the game overseas. I do not know if his one-year-old son will dictate what he decides to do or not but I think he is going to have to make a major decision after the season is over.
 
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Actually Im a junior
 
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Currently listed as the 62nd best prospect by DraftExpress (a ranking that would leave him undrafted), Thomas has been dominant for Ohio State in the tournament. The junior forward recorded his third 20-point game of the tournament in Thursday's 73-30 win over Arizona, and has converted better than 50 percent of his field-goal attempts in each of those games. Thomas is the key to the Buckeyes' success and should be keeping opposing coaches up at night.
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http://www.cleveland.com/marchmadne...tournament_2013_10_though_1.html#incart_river
 
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Herb Kirkstreit;2320867; said:
He's a shorter Antawn Jamison. Jamison is considered the worst defender in the NBA. If Deshaun was as tall as Jamison, he'd still be drafted highly.
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Jamison is the most appropriate comparison. Both can score in a variety of ways. Both have defensive issues. But Jamison has been, for most of his career, a high volume scorer and a starter with mediocre teams. There's no reason to think Thomas can't do the same coming off the bench.

If he were drafted by a team like the Spurs, he could easily fill a vital role as a reserve.

EDIT: FWIW, I don't see a benefit to DT returning to Ohio State even given his poor draft stock. I don't think he's going to improve on his deficiencies.
 
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Blessed with a solid post game, a silky 3-point shot and the ability to score around the rim with both hands, Ohio State junior Deshaun Thomas is a matchup nightmare. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Ft. Wayne (Ind.) native had 20 points in the Buckeyes’ 73-70 win over Arizona, making half of his 14 shots and 3-of-6 from three, playing all 40 minutes.

“He’s playing against our four, our 6-10 forward that’s not used to guarding guys on the wing,” Arizona senior Solomon Hill said. “Deshaun Thomas takes up space on the post and on the outside, and those guys feed off of their defender.”

The first-team All-Big 10 performer passed Robin Freeman for 11th on the school’s all-time scoring list; should Thomas return for his senior year, he’ll have a very good shot at passing Dennis Hopson (2,096 points) for the highest scoring output in OSU history. DraftExpress.com currently has Thomas going with the 51st overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.
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http://www.cleveland.com/marchmadne...aa_tournament_2013_the_view.html#incart_river
 
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OH10;2322543; said:
Jamison is the most appropriate comparison. Both can score in a variety of ways. Both have defensive issues. But Jamison has been, for most of his career, a high volume scorer and a starter with mediocre teams. There's no reason to think Thomas can't do the same coming off the bench.

If he were drafted by a team like the Spurs, he could easily fill a vital role as a reserve.
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^^^this^^^
 
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