Way too Early Look at the Basketball Bucks, Part 2

In this second part of my incredibly early look at the Basketball team I will focus my attention on the Buckeyes highly regarded incoming recruiting class.  The first three new guys I feature won’t have any stats to their name as their coaches chose not to release them to the internet.  That said, High School Basketball stats always tend to be a little on the ridiculous side so make sure to take the ones I do have with a grain of salt.

I can’t wait to see these guys suit up for the Scarlet and Gray.  They all look like tremendous athletes and are going to be a joy to watch during the season.

Videos of their high school exploits are included after each player.  As per usual, I don’t get to choose the music so be careful when viewing the videos.

Aaron Craft (6-1, 170, Liberty-Benton HS, Findlay OH)

Craft is a prototypical Floor General style Point Guard.  He’s a particularly good passer and reportedly one of the best defenders in the class, suggesting that there’s a good chance we’re going to see him on the floor early and often.  His perimeter shot needs some work, though, so his production on offense will primarily be through distributing the ball to his teammates and getting into the paint.  He reads defenses well, and seems to have a knack for taking a leadership role.

Craft is a traditional PG through and through.  He’ll likely be told to work on his shooting a bit during the offseason, but don’t expect him to be a primary scoring option for the Buckeyes during his career.  Do expect him to be a big name on the defensive side of the ball early and often much like Lighty has been for much of his time in the Scarlet and Gray.

Lenzelle Smith (6-3, 215, Zion-Benton Township HS, Zion IL)

Smith and Craft are quite similar in their skill sets, though Smith isn’t likely to score off the dribble drive as well as Craft may be able to.  Smith will lead the offense from beyond the arc and is reportedly a very good passer.  The Buckeyes will find him particularly handy in getting the ball down low to Lauderdale and Sullinger during the season.  He also appears to be quite adept at the 3 ball.  He gets great arc on his deep shot, seems to follow through well and can hit a long shot even with a hand in his face.  This should give the Buckeyes another shooting dimension to compliment Buford and Diebler during the season.

Smith, like Craft, is clearly a 1 position style of player due to his ball distributing skills.  In order to see lots of time, though, Smith will have to work on his ball-handling or the Big Ten teams will simply press him into plentiful turnovers.  We may also occasionally see him at the 2 given his 3 point shooting skills.

Jordan Sibert (6-5, 180, Princeton HS, Cincinnati OH)

Sibert is coming to Columbus as a SG, probably to be the guy who will fill Jon Diebler’s shoes in the future.  He’s not as prolific a three point shooter as Diebler is (honestly, who is?), but he has developed an inside game that Diebler seemed to lack his first two seasons which should help make him a little more dangerous early in his career.  Jordan is a particularly versatile player overall, but may function better in motion away from the ball rather than leading the offense, so don’t expect him to suddenly transition to PG.

Sibert will likely play the 2 spot during his time in Columbus, but he has the size and versatility to switch to the 3.  His versatility will also be a huge advantage in those times when Matta wants to go small and play a fast paced game.

JD Weatherspoon (6-7, 190, Northland HS, Columbus OH)

Weatherspoon is not your prototypical power forward.  While he clearly plays his best game under the hoop, he’s a lot quicker than your typical PF and can surprise defenders with his speed.  His videos suggest that he’s a bit of a dunk artist, so expect to see some high-flying acts while he’s in the game.  In fact, I can hear the “Craft to Weatherspoon” or “Smith to Weatherspoon” dunk calls already!

Weatherspoon’s dribble looks a little awkward, but he seems to be able to do things while putting the ball on the ground so that may not hamper him too much.  While watching him dribble, I got the impression that it will be ripe for a steal at the college level, so we may see Matta command him to never put the ball on the deck.  Such a command certainly wouldn’t hurt his game any considering it seems to center around throwing the ball through the hoop as often as he possibly can.

Weatherspoon looks to be a perfect fit for the 4 position, especially since he’s already spent time working with Mr. Sullinger sitting at the 5 and has likely developed a rapport with him.  He may be able to play the 3 if the Buckeyes choose to go big with his speed, or play the 5 if the Bucks choose to go small, so there are plenty of options that can be explored with some of his skill sets.

DeShaun Thomas (6-7, 215, Bishop Luers HS, Fort Wayne IN)

Of all the players coming to Columbus this year, DeShaun Thomas has to be the one that I’m most excited to see hit the hardwood.  I spoke of previous players on the list having some versatility to their game, but DeShaun Thomas seems to perfect the word.  Scout.com lists Thomas as a Power Forward, which with his size he could easily play.  That said, though, Maxpreps.com lists Thomas as a Guard.  I want you to think about that for a moment.  He could conceivably play anywhere from the 2 to the 5, and possibly even play the 1 depending on how good he is at directing traffic.  Am I hyping a little?  Sure, but this kid seems worth it.

Thomas is a threat from anywhere on the court, including from beyond the arc (despite Scout.com’s claim that his 3 point shot is weak).  His shot does tend to be a little flat which is not conducive to a high shooting percentage, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do it – his 30.8% shooting from three suggests that quite well.  Is he going to shoot lights out from downtown?  No, but he will hit a fair amount of the time, and his 208 attempted 3 pointers (out of 583 total shots – 35.7% of his shots) suggest that he’s not afraid to take a crack at it.

I have a hard time deciding where Thomas would be best suited.  His skill sets and video suggest that he would probably best fit at the 2 or 3 spot, especially the 3 considering his size.  Ultimately, I think he’ll end up playing at the three not unlike Evan Turner did in his first two years in the program.

Jared Sullinger (6-9, 265, Northland HS, Columbus OH)

Sullinger is the guy that everyone else is most excited to see on the floor – and for good reason.  Buckeye fans have already seen him play in several games, including high school games televised on the world-wide leader and in games at Value City Arena.  So far, Sullinger has done nothing but impress with his tenacity and power down low.  He seems almost unstoppable in the paint, especially once he gets the ball in his hands.

He’s accused of being slow and of being unable to run the court effectively.  Given what I’ve seen so far of his play, I’m not certain who the experts were watching or on what basis they were evaluating his talent.  One of my favorite plays on the video linked to below is the one starting at about 33 seconds in where Sullinger picks up a pass down low for a layup and starts to move back to play defense, realizes that the opponent is pushing the ball down the court and hustles down to get the huge block without fouling.  In one play, Sullinger showed the kind of desire, hustle and self control that coaches want in a player.  Plus, being able to get down the court that quick is a bonus too.  I’m sure that knocks on his speed and ability to get down the court have a lot more to do with fast breaks down the court, but for a big man I’m not too surprised.

Don’t make too much of the three pointers he takes in that video.  He only shot 13 total and made 5, so you saw almost the entirety of his mid-range to outside shooting in that one video.  Those three pointers were almost certainly a gimmick – though the fact that he can hit them on occasion is a nice way to keep defenses on their toes once in a while.

Sullinger will play the 5 spot for the Buckeyes almost without question.  I would be surprised if Matta decided to move him to the 4, even if that meant putting Lauderdale and Sullinger on the floor together.  If anything, Lauderdale may move to the 4 before Sullinger does.

Come back tomorrow for a look at what the Buckeyes depth chart might look like next year given what we know now.