2011 Basketball Preview: Deshaun Thomas

Of all of the players to regularly see the court last season, Deshaun Thomas had to be the most inconsistent of them all. Clearly talented, he quickly became known as a ball-hog for his affinity to never pass the rock to his teammates once he got his hands on it. In fact, it was often joked that there was never a shot that Thomas didn’t like.

Mr. Thomas has one of the more impressive honors sheets on this entire Buckeyes team. If not for Jared Sullinger, he would have been, without question, the star of the 2010 class. With how talented he is, it should not be a surprise that his hard work in the summer has apparently paid off. It is expected that he should be ready to play a significant role on this year’s team.

Hometown: Ft. Wayne, Indiana
High School: Bishop Luers
Position: Forward (3/4)
Year: Sophomore
Height: 6-7
Weight: 225

High School Awards:
– State Scoring Title: 817 points, 30.3 points per game (2009)
– State Scoring Title: 764 points, 31.8 points per game (2010)
– McDonald’s All-American (2010)
– Indiana Mr. Basketball (2010)
– Parade All-American (2009)
– Parade All-American (2010)
– All State (2007-2010: 4 years)
– All SAC (2007-2010: 4 years)

Deshaun Thomas was the top rated Small Forward coming out of High School as rated by several different recruiting services. He was one of the most impressive players in the state of Indiana, and was the first Indiana Mr. Basketball to join the Buckeyes since Greg Oden in 2006. He is number three on the all-time scoring lists in the state of Indiana, and his Bishop Luer teams won the Class 2A state title in both 2008 and 2009. His 34 points and 15 rebounds in the 2009 state title are 2nd most in Indiana Class 2A history.

Career Stats:

From Buckeyes Beats blog as usual.

Strengths:

Thomas is a particularly strong and athletic player capable of playing both the 3 and the 4 spots. He can score from the block and is tough to defend on the inside, using either his quickness or strength to beat opponents to the hoop. He’s also a capable, if inconsistent, 3 point shooter making him versatile enough to be a challenge for most defenses to defend. It is simply sufficient to say that Deshaun Thomas is a scorer. When he’s on the court, he is going to find a way to put the ball in the bucket. Ultimately, he’s a catch and shoot style player that will benefit from having a number of great point guards and distributors on the team.

He is also an acceptable defender, with his greatest strength lying in defending the paint where he can use his strength to fight off bigger players. The small amount of time he saw on the court last season in critical minutes is a testament to that ability. He is also a solid rebounder and can help control the boards with ease while in the game. Combined with any of the other big men, Thomas will be able to make a significant mark inside this year.

Things to Work on:

Despite being a tremendous scorer and decent three point shooter, there are a large number of aspects of his game that Thomas must work on. First and foremost, if he wishes to be a top-flight scorer for this team, he has to work on getting more arc in his shot. Since high school, and throughout his freshman year, it was painfully obvious that his shots were very flat. That implies that he’s using his arms to project the ball, rather than using his legs to loft his shot. Thomas has reportedly spent time working with Chris Jent on his shooting this off-season, and I’m certain Jent has focused on improving Thomas’s form, particularly focusing on using his legs more in the shot.

Thomas also must work on his defensive skills, specifically on the perimeter. Despite being a fast, athletic guy, Thomas is simply poor at his on-ball defense outside of the paint. His footwork needs serious work to prevent himself from getting turned around and getting his feet tangled up. It will also help him keep pace with some of the swifter opponents, and prevent them from making him look like a screen door. With practice, he has the skills to get the job done, but making it natural will take time.

Role for this Team:

Deshaun Thomas is a scorer in every way possible. His mentality is that of the kind of player that just can’t help but make plays on the offensive end. With his offseason work he is very likely ready to step in and start producing points in a hurry for the Buckeyes, something they can desperately use in the wake of losing Lighty and Diebler.

Thomas is most naturally a 3, though he’s a tad taller than the average player at that position. From that spot, he will likely play both inside in the paint, though he will spend most of his time outside beyond the arc. His job will be to get himself open away from the ball in order to catch a pass and put up a shot. Expect Craft to be looking for him often when the Bucks need a big score from the outside. His job will also be to score enough points in the early season to start drawing defenders to him from out of the paint – making Sullinger’s job inside ultimately easier.

It is possible that he’ll also see time at the four, though he’s a tad undersized for that position. He is still capable of defending typical four’s and should hold up well on the inside. You’ll most likely see this when the Buckeyes go to a smaller, quicker lineup and look to run the court. You may also see this in those rare times that Sullinger gets into foul trouble, or if the Buckeyes decide to stick Sullinger back at the five for some reason.

Of everyone on this team this season, I have to admit I’m the most excited to see Thomas and how he’s improved over the course of the offseason. If he’s even half as good as some people are claiming, he will be quite a sight to see over the next several months.