Connor Lemons
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You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State men’s basketball player do you expect to take the biggest jump next year?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images
The Buckeyes bring back six players who were underclassmen last season.
Despite the hope that hiring Jake Diebler would mean all of Ohio State’s best players would stay put, the Buckeyes didn’t escape the first two weeks of the transfer portal window unscathed.
Roddy Gayle Jr., a rising junior who was third on the team with 13.5 points per game, is gone, and is reportedly considering transferring to Michigan, among other places. Scotty Middleton, a rising sophomore who had an uneven freshman year but shot 45.2% from three, is also gone. Zed Key transferred after four years as well, as did rising junior guard Bowen Hardman.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which transfer portal players the Buckeyes should go after. Ironically enough, there’s been zero suggestion that Ohio State has actually contacted either of the players we picked. 61% of the readers sided with Connor and his choice of Trey Townsend. The other 39% agreed with Justin, who thinks Jake Diebler should bring in Jordan Pope.
Connor- 73
Despite losing four guys to the portal, Ohio State still brings back six players who were either freshmen or sophomores last year — Bruce Thornton, Evan Mahaffey, Felix Okpara, Taison Chatman, Austin Parks, and Devin Royal. There are also two freshmen coming in, which means the bones of this team will still be young players.
Of the players already on the roster, who do you think will really take a big leap forward next season? Here are out picks:
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25387864/usa_today_22777721.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament Second Round-Ohio State vs Iowa")
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
The “We think Devin could progress on the same track as E.J. (Liddell) did,” narrative that Chris Holtmann tried to push early in the season became tiring really fast.
Royal averaged 3.2 points per game over his first 24 games of the year, and played 10 or more minutes in only 10 of those first 24 games. He showed some flashes, but wasn’t given the opportunity to step in and make a difference, even while Evan Mahaffey struggled to put the ball in the basket as a starter.
But the switch flipped on that special day in East Lansing. On the day that Dale Bonner stunned the green and white-clad crowd into silence, it was actually Royal who led Ohio State in scoring. The freshman scored a career-high 14 points in just 18 minutes on 6-of-6 shooting.
“All the stuff we’ve been through this year, that’s what really motivated me.” Royal said. “It feels great. We put a lot of work in. We wanted to get a dub on the road.”
From that point on, Royal averaged 8.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 52% from the field. He became nearly unguardable between the basket and the free throw line, perfecting a little turnaround jump shot that he’d take after creating space below the basket. Royal never really found his three-point shot, and when you remove those, he shot 60.1% from two-point range over the final nine games.
Royal didn’t put up other-worldly rebounding numbers, partially because he didn’t play enough minutes to. Even down the stretch when he was playing well, the freshman from Pickerington still only topped 20 minutes one time. A big part of that was foul trouble, as Royal picked up three or more fouls in 11 of the final 15 games of the season.
In order for Royal to stay on the floor and play enough minutes for his raw ability to project on the stat sheet, he needs to avoid picking up dumb fouls. Too many of the fouls Royal picked up were far from the basket or on made baskets that were clearly going to be baskets with or without him getting involved. And with time and experience, he’s going to figure that out.
Royal had stretches where he was the most energetic player on the floor. He also had stretches — like the Michigan State game — where he looked unstopped on the offensive end. He also had games — in the Big Ten, no less — where he was able to climb the ladder and sky for rebounds above players much bigger than him. If Devin can show off those skills at even 75% of his capability next season, paired with more playing time, I think he will have a breakout season.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25388357/usa_today_22812968.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
There are a couple of guys that you could take in this regard. Devin Royal is a good pick, Evan Mahaffey could take a jump offensively, or even Bruce Thornton and Felix Okpara.
But I am going with a guy who some people thought was a guaranteed transfer: guard Taison Chatman.
Chatman announced he is returning to Columbus for his sophomore season after not seeing the floor much in his freshman season. It is worth noting that he played more under Jake Diebler than he did under Chris Holtmann.
It is also worth noting that Chatman missed significant time twice this past season with injuries: once in the offseason before the season started, and once in the middle of the season. If an incoming freshman misses part of the offseason, he is missing valuable time to get acquainted with the team and create chemistry in practice, and that has severely hindered and limited Chatman this season.
As long as Chatman stays healthy, he will be able to have a full offseason to help his development. Also, with the departures of Dale Bonner and Roddy Gayle, the Buckeyes will need Chatman to step into a larger role, along with incoming freshman Juni Mobley. Chatman will have the added benefit of experience over Mobley.
Chatman was one of the top-ranked recruits in the Big Ten last season, and unfortunately, injuries derailed his freshman season. If he stays healthy, he could be a candidate to take one of the biggest leaps 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
Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images
The Buckeyes bring back six players who were underclassmen last season.
Despite the hope that hiring Jake Diebler would mean all of Ohio State’s best players would stay put, the Buckeyes didn’t escape the first two weeks of the transfer portal window unscathed.
Roddy Gayle Jr., a rising junior who was third on the team with 13.5 points per game, is gone, and is reportedly considering transferring to Michigan, among other places. Scotty Middleton, a rising sophomore who had an uneven freshman year but shot 45.2% from three, is also gone. Zed Key transferred after four years as well, as did rising junior guard Bowen Hardman.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which transfer portal players the Buckeyes should go after. Ironically enough, there’s been zero suggestion that Ohio State has actually contacted either of the players we picked. 61% of the readers sided with Connor and his choice of Trey Townsend. The other 39% agreed with Justin, who thinks Jake Diebler should bring in Jordan Pope.
After 147 weeks:
Connor- 73
Justin- 55
Other- 15
(There have been four ties)
Despite losing four guys to the portal, Ohio State still brings back six players who were either freshmen or sophomores last year — Bruce Thornton, Evan Mahaffey, Felix Okpara, Taison Chatman, Austin Parks, and Devin Royal. There are also two freshmen coming in, which means the bones of this team will still be young players.
Of the players already on the roster, who do you think will really take a big leap forward next season? Here are out picks:
This week’s question: Which OSU men’s basketball player do you expect to take the biggest jump next year?
Connor: Devin Royal
The “We think Devin could progress on the same track as E.J. (Liddell) did,” narrative that Chris Holtmann tried to push early in the season became tiring really fast.
Royal averaged 3.2 points per game over his first 24 games of the year, and played 10 or more minutes in only 10 of those first 24 games. He showed some flashes, but wasn’t given the opportunity to step in and make a difference, even while Evan Mahaffey struggled to put the ball in the basket as a starter.
But the switch flipped on that special day in East Lansing. On the day that Dale Bonner stunned the green and white-clad crowd into silence, it was actually Royal who led Ohio State in scoring. The freshman scored a career-high 14 points in just 18 minutes on 6-of-6 shooting.
“All the stuff we’ve been through this year, that’s what really motivated me.” Royal said. “It feels great. We put a lot of work in. We wanted to get a dub on the road.”
From that point on, Royal averaged 8.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 52% from the field. He became nearly unguardable between the basket and the free throw line, perfecting a little turnaround jump shot that he’d take after creating space below the basket. Royal never really found his three-point shot, and when you remove those, he shot 60.1% from two-point range over the final nine games.
Royal didn’t put up other-worldly rebounding numbers, partially because he didn’t play enough minutes to. Even down the stretch when he was playing well, the freshman from Pickerington still only topped 20 minutes one time. A big part of that was foul trouble, as Royal picked up three or more fouls in 11 of the final 15 games of the season.
In order for Royal to stay on the floor and play enough minutes for his raw ability to project on the stat sheet, he needs to avoid picking up dumb fouls. Too many of the fouls Royal picked up were far from the basket or on made baskets that were clearly going to be baskets with or without him getting involved. And with time and experience, he’s going to figure that out.
Royal had stretches where he was the most energetic player on the floor. He also had stretches — like the Michigan State game — where he looked unstopped on the offensive end. He also had games — in the Big Ten, no less — where he was able to climb the ladder and sky for rebounds above players much bigger than him. If Devin can show off those skills at even 75% of his capability next season, paired with more playing time, I think he will have a breakout season.
Justin: Taison Chatman
There are a couple of guys that you could take in this regard. Devin Royal is a good pick, Evan Mahaffey could take a jump offensively, or even Bruce Thornton and Felix Okpara.
But I am going with a guy who some people thought was a guaranteed transfer: guard Taison Chatman.
Chatman announced he is returning to Columbus for his sophomore season after not seeing the floor much in his freshman season. It is worth noting that he played more under Jake Diebler than he did under Chris Holtmann.
It is also worth noting that Chatman missed significant time twice this past season with injuries: once in the offseason before the season started, and once in the middle of the season. If an incoming freshman misses part of the offseason, he is missing valuable time to get acquainted with the team and create chemistry in practice, and that has severely hindered and limited Chatman this season.
As long as Chatman stays healthy, he will be able to have a full offseason to help his development. Also, with the departures of Dale Bonner and Roddy Gayle, the Buckeyes will need Chatman to step into a larger role, along with incoming freshman Juni Mobley. Chatman will have the added benefit of experience over Mobley.
Chatman was one of the top-ranked recruits in the Big Ten last season, and unfortunately, injuries derailed his freshman season. If he stays healthy, he could be a candidate to take one of the biggest leaps in the conference.
Continue reading...