The projected starters
Point Guard
C.J. Walker — Senior, 6-1, 195 lbs.
Walker added a steadying presence at the point guard spot, and he came into his own once the spotlight was all his. He adds experience and leadership, and he showed he’s also willing to take a scoring role as well. He finished with just 8.7 points per game on average, but he was in double figures his last six games, going for 11, 12, 15, 15, 15, and 14 to end the year.
Shooting Guard
Luther Muhammad — Junior, 6-3, 185 lbs.
Muhammad isn’t going to be a consistent scorer, but he’s the best on-ball defender the Buckeyes have. He’s shown flashes of scoring ability, but you need a guy like him locking things down on the ball. The call here is for him to be a starter like he was at the end of this year.
Small Forward/Guard
Watch: Seth Towns tells SportsCenter why Ohio State was the perfect fit for him https://t.co/Ws56r2JZqD
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) March 23, 2020
Seth Towns — Junior, 6-7, 215 lbs.
The addition of Towns is a big one because it allows Ohio State to be a team with more length from the two or three spot. He’s got great shooting ability and is has sneaky and slithery moves in the lane and around the rim. And at 6-7, he can get his shot off against smaller guys on the perimeter. He’s an instant scoring option that the coaching staff can probably plug right into the lineup.
Power Forward
Kyle Young — Senior, 6-6, 220 lbs.
Young’s career has been a bit snakebitten with injury. He dealt with a stress fracture last year, then bounced back to be a glue guy that does all the little things at the beginning of the year. Then he had to deal with appendicitis and a high ankle sprain that took him away from the court for much of the last part of the year. He should be back healthy in 2019-2020 though, and he’ll be a guy that does it all for Chris Holtmann’s team.
Power Forward
E.J. Liddell — Sophomore, 6-9, 270 lbs.
We’re making the call for Kaleb Wesson to dive headfirst into the NBA waters this time around after just dipping his toe in last offseason. That means Ohio State will probably have to go a little smaller on the front line because there’s a lack of experienced height. Look for Liddell to continue to blossom and be a smaller big that can make things happen around the rim and get into space.