The Ohio State men’s basketball team is bringing back more production than nearly anybody in the Big Ten, except for maybe Purdue and UCLA. Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., and Devin Royal combined for 44.4 points per game last year, and they will make up 60% of the starting lineup.
However, as strong as the starting five looks, the depth behind them looks murky at best. There’s some potential for breakout performances from guys like Mathieu Grujicic and A’mare Bynum, but both are freshmen and may
take some time to adjust. Gabe Cupps and Taison Chatman should both see substantial minutes, but the former played four games last season before being shut down with an injury, and the latter missed the entire year with an injury.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated what the biggest potential weakness is with this Ohio State team. Depth at center was Connor’s answer, and was the more popular choice among readers, with 47% of the vote. 35% of readers agreed with Justin, who said the biggest concern is Brandon Noel and Christoph Tilly not playing well and adjusting to the Big Ten. The remaining 18% said the biggest issue is something other than those two suggestions.
After 215 weeks:
Connor- 99
Justin- 90
Other- 20
(There have been six ties)
This week, we’re debating who is the “next man up” for Ohio State at guard this season. Thornton and Mobley are the starters, and both will play more than 30 minutes per game. However, you’re always just one injury away from needing someone else to step up, and the Buckeyes have very few experienced options behind its two starting guards.
This week’s question: Who is Ohio State’s third guard on the depth chart?
Connor: Gabe Cupps
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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesJake Diebler and Ohio State are going to lean on Thornton and Mobley in a huge way this year. Every summer, Ohio State’s head coach — regardless of who it has been — talks about how it will be nice to take some of the pressure off of Thornton and let the other guards eat a few of his minutes to keep him fresh. And each season, it proves to be nonsense, as Thornton played 36.2 minutes per game last year.
Still, you’re always one injury away from needing to insert someone else into the lineup. Foul trouble can also force a coach’s hand, making them pull a starter and play a backup at the first or second media timeout even if that wasn’t the plan going into the game. It’s going to be intriguing to see which guard is the first one to run over to the scorer’s table this season and check in to replace Thornton or Mobley.
Cupps, Grujicic, and Chatman combined to play four college basketball games last season, and all four of those games were Cupps playing for Indiana. Unless Myles Herro is hiding something from us, then one of these three guys will be Ohio State’s third guard on the depth chart. All three will play both on and off-ball, so there’s no point in trying to categorize any of them as a point guard or shooting guard.
In my opinion, Cupps is going to be one of the first players off the bench this season playing behind — and occasionally alongside — Thornton. He has 37 collegiate games under his belt, which is more than twice as many as Chatman and 37 more than Grujicic. He also started 22 games at Indiana as a true freshman, so there won’t be a venue or atmosphere in the Big Ten that will throw him off.
Cupps was an average shooter in a fairly small sample size at IU, but he’s a smart player who does all of those dirty, grimy, intangible things that you roll your eyes at when coaches talk about them.
You know, “Plays really hard”, and “Has a high basketball IQ”, and “cares about winning”, and “isn’t afraid to put his body on the line.”
Fans aren’t too moved by those qualities, but coaches love them, and Diebler has said so himself. I expect Diebler to find some comfort in Cupps’ experience at Indiana, and the level of effort and intensity he plays with will endear him to the coaching staff, earning him some minutes.
I don’t expect Cupps to be much of a scorer — more of a facilitator and defender — but I do think he’ll be at the scorer’s table checking in before Chatman or Grujicic most nights.
Justin: Taison Chatman
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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesTaison Chatman is not only the third guard in the rotation, but he will see minutes on the floor with Thornton and Mobley in the three guard lineup when Diebler wants to get out in transition and play small ball.
Coming into Ohio State, Chatman was ranked No. 33 in the nation and No. 1 player in the state of Minnesota. However, he missed all of last season due to a torn ACL during summer workouts.
About a month ago, Jake Diebler was asked about Chatman’s progress and where he was physically.
“There will be an adjustment to get used to the speed of the game and the physicality, that stuff you can’t simulate right when you’re out and injured,” Diebler said. “But I’ve been really impressed with his commitment to working and getting better and getting ready for our summer training sessions. He’s not behind, he’s not apprehensive. He’s out there, he’s in the mix. He’s playing hard. He’s being aggressive. So, if you walked into the gym and you watched, you wouldn’t see a guy out there and say, ‘Man, he looks like a guy coming off an injury.’ And I think that’s a really good thing.”
Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports’ director of scouting, had this to say about Chatman coming out of high school.
“Chatman’s game is about substance over style. He doesn’t have a frame that is going to blow you away at first glance and he’s not going to win any highlight reel contests, but he’s cerebral, poised, and always productive. He has good backcourt size, can play on and off the ball, rarely gets sped up, and is a versatile scoring and playmaking threat.”
He is a star in the making. I was excited for Chatman to get to Columbus, and I am still excited to see what he can bring. He will be the first guard and likely first player off the bench this season.
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