With the NBA Draft set to take place Thursday night, new Ohio State basketball alums David Lighty and Jon Diebler will be waiting attentively in hopes of hearing their names called for one of the 60 picks in the two rounds of the Draft. Neither Lighty nor Diebler is an appealing enough prospect for an NBA team to warrant a coveted place in the Green Room, where the players nearly guaranteed to go in the top 20 picks are invited, but both former Buckeyes had solid senior campaigns that will at least get them some consideration for picks later in the Draft.
Ohio’s own Cleveland Cavaliers hold both the first and fourth overall picks, although the final slots could easily change before or during the Draft in a typical flurry of trade activity. Minnesota, Utah, and Toronto hold the second, third, and fifth picks, respectively, and will seek to add some much-needed talent to their rosters. Top candidates for a lottery pick include Kyrie Irving of Duke, Derrick Williams of Arizona, Enes Kanter of Turkey (that’s the country, not a university from the MEAC), and Brandon Knight of Kentucky, who we will refrain from wishing ill will upon. You will note that Jimmer Fredette, although having a good shot at a lottery pick, is not among the elite prospects for this year’s draft. Jazz trading down, anyone?
Some B1G names that will be familiar to Ohio State fans include JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore of Purdue, Talor Battle of Penn State, Jon Leuer of Wisconsin, Darius Morris of Michigan, and Demetri McCamey and Jereme Richmond of Illinois. While most of these guys are in the same boat as Lighty and Diebler, having put in their time in college and attempting to now get a spot with an NBA club as a second round pick, Morris and Richmond are leaving school early and taking their chances with less-than-complete resumes.
Looking back at the 2010-11 season, Lighty and Diebler played huge roles in leading Ohio State to one of its best seasons in history. Their senior leadership and positive approach made them both fan favorites, and it was a treat to watch them develop as players during their time wearing the Scarlet & Gray.
Diebler led the team in minutes played for the season, averaged over 12 points per game, and shot an impressive 50% on both field goals and three-pointers, a feat not matched by many that take any significant quantity of threes. And Diebler certainly took his share, finishing as the Big Ten’s all-time leader in three-pointers made while tying a record for total threes made in one game (10). While nobody can dispute Diebler’s ability to rain it in from downtown, it is frankly unlikely that he’ll find a home in the NBA. Diebs did get a late invite to the NBA Combine, but there are concerns about his ability to defend at the pro level. While Diebler is a highly efficient player, his ability to create his own shot against more athletic defenders is not stellar, and even at 6’6 he won’t have the size to consistently shoot over opponents like he did in college. The good news for Jon is that basketball is played everywhere these days, and European teams may be eager to land someone with his talents.
David Lighty has a better chance at being taken in the second round of Thursday’s draft, and could turn into a valuable role player for an NBA team. As the quintessential senior leader, Lighty drove the Buckeye defensive effort all season long and earned a reputation as one of the best all-around defenders in the NCAA. Lighty’s scoring also took a jump between his first and last year in Columbus, as he averaged over 12 points per game in 2010-11 and added over three assists per outing, good enough for second-best on the team. Although Lighty is an inch shorter than Diebler, he has great strength and can defend both guards and forwards. Lighty was not considered a huge scoring threat in college, and will be even less of one if given the opportunity to play professionally, giving rise to the thought that he may not bring enough to the table to warrant a spot on an NBA roster. However, it’s possible that the guy who isn’t necessarily the flashiest is just what a team wants, because he’s willing to do a bit of everything. At times it seemed like Lighty was almost in the same category as Ron Artest (physical, great defender, subpar shooter), but both in terms of build and mentality a much better comparison is former San Antonio Spur Bruce Bowen.
In the end it comes down what a team sees in the workouts, and clearly both Diebler and Lighty have the intangibles of character and work ethic weighing in their favor. This is likely why Chad Ford sees both getting drafted, and ultimately why either one would succeed in the pros as they did in college. We wish them the best as we look ahead to tomorrow night’s draft.
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