Connor Lemons
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You’re Nuts: Which Buckeye men’s basketball player will take the biggest jump next season?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Jake Diebler retained a good chunk of last year’s team, but he needs those players to continue to improve.
Well, one month down, five to go. Roster and coaching staff turnover continues as we roll into May, as Ohio State is still looking for one more player and one more coach to top off the 2025-2026 roster. The team will return to campus next month for summer classes, which means these things should all pretty much be wrapped up in the next four weeks or so.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated what the biggest “What if” of Ohio State’s season was. Connor went with “What if Bruce Thornton didn’t airball that shot against Michigan?” and Justin said “What if Pitt didn’t hit that buzzer-beater in November?”
It was another close one, but Connor’s choice of Thornton airballing against the skunk badgers earned 47% of the votes from the readers, while Justin’s Pitt buzzer-beater earned 42% of the vote. The remaining 11% of the readers thought it was something other than those two tragic moments.
Connor- 91
This week, we’re debating which player will take the biggest jump from last season to this season. It doesn’t necessarily have to be someone who was on the team last season, but it does have to be someone playing for Ohio State this year.
Interpret “biggest jump” any way you want — whether that’s statistically or otherwise.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25911263/usa_today_22556735.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
As good as Devin Royal has been, he actually wasn’t the highest-rated recruit in Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class. That honor goes to Chatman, who was No. 39 in the 247Sports composite rankings in that class.
He only played in 17 games two years ago as a freshman, but what I remember being impressed by in his limited minutes is that fact that he never looked rushed. He settled way too often, taking 15 of his 18 shots that year from three-point range, but I the shots usually came in a rhythm and Chatman took them confidently. He was 6-of-18 shooting over 17 games during the 2023-2024 season, and was 4-for-15 from three-point range.
Like it or not, Chatman is going to play a crucial role on this year’s team. Thornton and Mobley will start, but right now it is looking like Chatman and Gabe Cupps could be the other guards in the rotation, as well as incoming freshman Dorian Jones.
In a recent interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Jake Diebler said that Chatman has been shooting the ball well this summer.
“He’s shot the ball really well this spring in his workouts,” Diebler said of the 6-foot-4, 175-pound Chatman. “He has positional size for a guard. He’s a bigger guard, and he again is a guy who has a high basketball IQ.”
Assuming there are no drastic injuries in the starting lineup, Chatman could play anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes per game this season off the bench. He can play on or off the ball, and his jump shot looks confident and smooth (I wouldn’t put too much stock into the small sample size of his freshman season).
Chatman was ranked a one of the highest four-star recruits in the 2023 class for a reason, and this season will be his first real opportunity to get some consistent minutes. As long as his knee is 100%, I think Chatman will end up scoring 6-10 points per game for Ohio State off the bench this season.
As big of a jump Devin Royal took from his freshman to sophomore season, I expect the same from John Mobley Jr.
This is not necessarily true regarding statistics, since Royal had a much smaller role in his freshman season than Mobley did, so it was easier for all of his stats to go up. I expect him to take a large leap in college basketball acumen and maturity.
A large part of playing college basketball is learning how to play college basketball, and the offseason from freshman to sophomore season is a pivotal time for that development. As a freshman, you are still dealing with the transition to college life, and now as a sophomore, you can focus more on the actual basketball since you have adjusted.
Mobley was put into a tough spot last season as a true freshman, as he was thrust into a starting role and one of the top minutes played for the Buckeyes after Meechie Johnson left the team. He went through some growing pains, but ultimately played very well for a freshman, even briefly popping up on NBA Draft boards.
Now, he will head into his second season with all that experience.
A primary focus for Mobley will be improving his efficiency inside the three-point line, as he only shot 39 percent from the field and 38 percent from three. If he can improve that, he can be one of the best scorers in the conference.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Jake Diebler retained a good chunk of last year’s team, but he needs those players to continue to improve.
Well, one month down, five to go. Roster and coaching staff turnover continues as we roll into May, as Ohio State is still looking for one more player and one more coach to top off the 2025-2026 roster. The team will return to campus next month for summer classes, which means these things should all pretty much be wrapped up in the next four weeks or so.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated what the biggest “What if” of Ohio State’s season was. Connor went with “What if Bruce Thornton didn’t airball that shot against Michigan?” and Justin said “What if Pitt didn’t hit that buzzer-beater in November?”
It was another close one, but Connor’s choice of Thornton airballing against the skunk badgers earned 47% of the votes from the readers, while Justin’s Pitt buzzer-beater earned 42% of the vote. The remaining 11% of the readers thought it was something other than those two tragic moments.
After 203 weeks:
Connor- 91
Justin- 86
Other- 20
(There have been six ties)
This week, we’re debating which player will take the biggest jump from last season to this season. It doesn’t necessarily have to be someone who was on the team last season, but it does have to be someone playing for Ohio State this year.
Interpret “biggest jump” any way you want — whether that’s statistically or otherwise.
This week’s question: Which Buckeye basketball player will take the biggest jump next season?
Connor: Taison Chatman
As good as Devin Royal has been, he actually wasn’t the highest-rated recruit in Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class. That honor goes to Chatman, who was No. 39 in the 247Sports composite rankings in that class.
He only played in 17 games two years ago as a freshman, but what I remember being impressed by in his limited minutes is that fact that he never looked rushed. He settled way too often, taking 15 of his 18 shots that year from three-point range, but I the shots usually came in a rhythm and Chatman took them confidently. He was 6-of-18 shooting over 17 games during the 2023-2024 season, and was 4-for-15 from three-point range.
Like it or not, Chatman is going to play a crucial role on this year’s team. Thornton and Mobley will start, but right now it is looking like Chatman and Gabe Cupps could be the other guards in the rotation, as well as incoming freshman Dorian Jones.
In a recent interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Jake Diebler said that Chatman has been shooting the ball well this summer.
“He’s shot the ball really well this spring in his workouts,” Diebler said of the 6-foot-4, 175-pound Chatman. “He has positional size for a guard. He’s a bigger guard, and he again is a guy who has a high basketball IQ.”
Assuming there are no drastic injuries in the starting lineup, Chatman could play anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes per game this season off the bench. He can play on or off the ball, and his jump shot looks confident and smooth (I wouldn’t put too much stock into the small sample size of his freshman season).
Chatman was ranked a one of the highest four-star recruits in the 2023 class for a reason, and this season will be his first real opportunity to get some consistent minutes. As long as his knee is 100%, I think Chatman will end up scoring 6-10 points per game for Ohio State off the bench this season.
Justin: John Mobley Jr.
As big of a jump Devin Royal took from his freshman to sophomore season, I expect the same from John Mobley Jr.
This is not necessarily true regarding statistics, since Royal had a much smaller role in his freshman season than Mobley did, so it was easier for all of his stats to go up. I expect him to take a large leap in college basketball acumen and maturity.
A large part of playing college basketball is learning how to play college basketball, and the offseason from freshman to sophomore season is a pivotal time for that development. As a freshman, you are still dealing with the transition to college life, and now as a sophomore, you can focus more on the actual basketball since you have adjusted.
Mobley was put into a tough spot last season as a true freshman, as he was thrust into a starting role and one of the top minutes played for the Buckeyes after Meechie Johnson left the team. He went through some growing pains, but ultimately played very well for a freshman, even briefly popping up on NBA Draft boards.
Now, he will head into his second season with all that experience.
A primary focus for Mobley will be improving his efficiency inside the three-point line, as he only shot 39 percent from the field and 38 percent from three. If he can improve that, he can be one of the best scorers in the conference.
Continue reading...