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 points to end the year.
Small Forward/Shooting Guard
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 at the two or three spot. I think the Buckeyes will go bigger with Towns’ ability to shoot at the guard spot and play Sueing on the wing. Despite his length, Towns has sneaky and slithery moves to penetrate into the lane and around the rim. And at 6-feet, 7-inches, 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/Guard
Justice Sueing — Junior, 6-6, 210 lbs.
Don’t sleep on Sueing. I think Luther Muhammad moving on from the program opens up a starting spot for Sueing because Seth Towns can move to the two-guard spot and allow Seuing to play his natural position. He’s a guy that can create his own shot, will work hard for rebounds and score from multiple spots on the floor. He led Cal in scoring the last season he played in 2018-2019 for a reason.
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, 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 season. He should be back healthy in 2019-2020 though, and he’ll be a guy that does it all for Chris Holtmann’s team.
USA TODAY names John Havlicek (not Jerry Lucas) all-time face of Ohio State basketball program https://t.co/wlDAALTwyL
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) April 9, 2020
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.