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PG Duane Washington Jr. (3rd Team All-B1G, 1st Team All-B1G Tourney, Partizan)

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DUANE WASHINGTON JR. (JUNIOR)
What he’s done: Though he’s been inconsistent between games and has had his fair share of struggles with shot selection, Washington turned into one of Ohio State’s top offensive threats last season. After averaging seven points in 17.2 minutes per game as a freshman, he was second on the team with 11.5 points in 24.9 minutes per game. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard shot 40.3 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from beyond the arc. After DJ Carton began a leave of absence, he became the backup point guard.

Next season’s outlook: Now an upperclassman, Washington will again be counted on for his scoring. To take the next step, though, he’s got to find a way to shoot better percentages with a greater deal of consistency. He took at least eight shots while hitting below 40 percent from the field in 10 games last season. Two aspects of Washington’s game – shooting and ability to run the offense – will be especially important in 2020-21. The Buckeyes are losing two 40-percent 3-point shooters, meaning he’ll be arguably the top outside threat, and they’ll also need him to serve as Walker’s top backup at point guard.

 
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Although the COVID-19 pandemic may have felt like a pause for many student-athletes, the break gave Duane Washington Jr. an opportunity to reflect and amend.

The junior guard has been one of Ohio State’s most prolific shooters and scorers — averaging almost two 3-pointers and 11.5 points per game in the 2019-20 season. With a mindset of scoring dominating Washington’s play style his first two seasons, the Michigan native said he has grown as both a basketball player and person to prepare for the upcoming season.

“I had a lot of time to self-reflect and grow up a little bit and just understand some of the things my freshman and sophomore year I felt I could have done better,” Washington said Friday in a Zoom call.

Washington said he returned home at the beginning of the pandemic, where he worked out and trained with his father. Having a full-court gym at home, Washington’s desire to become stronger was fulfilled by going to the gym every day and sometimes multiple times a day.

Working on the mental side of his game, Washington said he also had time to watch a lot of film over the past seven months.

Watching current NBA guards such as Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving, Washington said he saw players that were able to play smart and be versatile on the court, and it catalyzed his change in mindset.

“It’s never been the fact that I can’t do everything,” Washington said. “It’s mentally I got to understand that this decision is better than that decision. Basketball is a game of choices.”

Reflecting on his own tape, Washington said he uncovered mistakes in making the right play during his first two seasons with the Buckeyes.

“All that stuff was hard for me to understand during the time. Still to this day I don’t know why, but looking at it now, I have a totally different view on it and I think that’s for the better,” Washington said.
 
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DUANE WASHINGTON JR. (11.5 POINTS, 40.3/39.3/83.3 SHOOTING SPLITS LAST YEAR)

WHY HE WILL
There are two simple reasons why Holtmann gave him the nod as the favorite to take the mantle as the Buckeyes’ No. 1 scorer: He’ll play a ton of minutes and take a bunch of shots. Washington was second behind Wesson with 11.5 points last year in only 24.9 minutes per game. After hoisting 9.6 shots a game a year ago, he’ll likely be in double digits this season. Washington teetered on 40 percent shooting from 3-point range and hit more than 80 percent of his free throws. He’s massively important to this year’s Ohio State team, and his value will largely come from his ability to score from all three levels.

WHY HE WON'T
Making his shot selection more efficient has long been a priority for Washington. Yes, he shoots well behind the arc and at the line, but will he develop a better understanding of when and where he should launch? He spoke a month ago about getting better in that area. But if that remains an issue, despite the inevitably large number of shots he’ll take, he might get passed up in the scoring department by somebody else.
 
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