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SG Malaki Branham (B1G Freshman of the Year, San Antonio Spurs)

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Malaki Branham knows. So does Jason Dawson, Branham's longtime trainer. And on Wednesday morning, three days before Christmas, the two tested out the acoustics of an otherwise empty Value City Arena for what has become a customary 5 a.m. workout. With the auxiliary lights casting dim lighting on the main court, the only interruption to an otherwise silent morning was the heating system, the squeaks of Branham’s scarlet and white Nikes and the pounding of the basketball on the hardwood.
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I guess those 5 AM workouts are really starting to pay dividends. He might want to invite his teammates.
 
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ScriptOhio said:


The 35 points are the most of any Ohio State freshman in a Big Ten conference game, topping D'Angelo Russell's 33 points against Nebraska in 2015. It's also the second-most of any Buckeye freshman all-time, behind only Jared Sullinger's 40-point performance against IUPUI in 2010.
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Put the team on his back last night and carried them to victory.
 
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Branham is now the Buckeyes’ second-leading scorer on the season, as well, with an average of 10.4 points per game even though he averaged just 6.3 before Ohio State’s COVID pause. He shot under 40 percent against Indiana as the entire team struggled from the floor, but Branham is still shooting nearly 58 percent from the floor over the last three games.

“Even though some of those shots didn’t go in against Indiana, the game’s slowing down for him a little bit,” said Ohio State assistant coach Jake Diebler, who served as acting head coach on Sunday with Chris Holtmann out due to health and safety protocols. “He’s figuring out how to get more shots off, and he’s staying aggressive, playing with a little more physicality and force than what he started with at the beginning of the year. Our belief in him, and really all our young guys – that transition from high school to college is challenging – but he’s certainly starting to emerge as an offensive weapon.”
 
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nomatta said:
Saw Branham at a bookstore yesterday. Told him he was doing great. Nice guy.

Hopefully we get him one more season, at least.
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I think that he might go to the NBA evaluation camp after this season just to get some feedback but I think(hope) that he will stay for one more season. I just do not think that he is ready right now anyway.
 
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Holtmann took a submitted question about where he has seen first-year guard Malaki Branham grow during his freshman season.

“Tremendous kid,” he said. “High-character person. Cares about what he’s doing, cares about getting better. Comes from a great family. I also think he had an understanding of the challenges that were going to be here for a freshmen, so he’s been able to manage the ups and downs. He’s a talented young man. He’s almost 6-5 with a 6-9 wingspan. Shoots the ball, can get to spots, glides offensively. He’s got real potential that’s still not being even actually tapped into yet. Our fans will continue to see him grow.”

When he committed to Ohio State, Branham said Holtmann and assistant coach Ryan Pedon recruited him so extensively that it bordered on being annoying.

“We were,” Holtmann said. “We were extremely annoying. He was really important because we felt like he was a Buckeye. We felt like he embodied the culture of our program and had the potential to be a really good player. All of those qualities, our full attention was given to him. We started recruiting him 2½ years before he committed. Before the final hours, I was FaceTiming with him about every day.”

https://www.dispatch.com/story/spor...echie-johnson-justice-sueing-show/6635610001/
 
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Seems like the game is slowing down for him. I saw the same thing happen way back in middle school. Once it happened, he dominated. And he was just a 7th grader at the time.... taking over games. Not in a "ball hog" kind of way, either. Just like.. well... Jordan in his prime. He's not Jordan, that's not my point. Just seen it before, and he's only going to get better.
 
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What an incredible run.

My hope is that the feedback from the NBA is that he should comeback and work on his handle and 3 point shot in order to become a lottery pick.

NBA isn’t keen on midrange game other then Derouzon.
 
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