Ohio State Basketball: With Wesson back Buckeyes are balanced and deep

With Kaleb Wesson coming back to Ohio State for his junior year the Buckeyes will be balanced and have plenty of depth next season.

Coach Chris Holtmann has done an unbelievable job during his first two years as the Ohio State head coach. But often he has had to play guys out of position because he was lacking depth at power forward and center. With Kaleb Wesson returning for one more season and freshmen coming aboard that shouldn’t be the case.

Wesson will once again be the key to the Buckeyes’ success as he led the team in scoring (14.6) and rebounds (6.9) last season. However, he had a hard time staying on the floor because he was often in foul trouble.

That caused problems when Ohio State faced tall Big Ten teams. That left 6 ft. 8 Kyle Young, 6 ft. 6 older brother Andre and 6 ft. 9 Jaedon LeDee (who transferred from the program) to guard the paint and get points down low.

This year Kyle and Andre will have help when Kaleb is on the bench. Let’s first take a look at his backup.

Like most freshmen, Ibrahima Diallo will probably be a work in progress. But you would think the 7 footer can be a rim protector, grab rebounds and score down low when he fills in for Wesson.

At power forward coach Holtmann will have a backup when Kyle Young needs a breather. E.J. Liddell is ranked as the No. 42 player in the 2019 recruiting class. By everything I have heard about this guy he plays much bigger than 6 ft. 6.

Alonzo Gaffney is another top 50 player and it has been said the 6 ft. 9 forward can play at either the 3 or 4 positions. He will give coach Holtmann yet another presence in the paint.

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As far as players who can move between shooting guard and small forward, depending on whether the Buckeyes go with a big lineup or a small one, Musa Jallow and Justin Ahrens can fill either role. Jallow came on strong his sophomore year and Ahrens displayed his sharpshooting ability as a freshman.

At the 2 position, Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington are promising young players. Muhammad is a beast on the defensive end and shot well last season. You can tell Washington was born with that scoring gene and should be fun to watch next season.

The situation at point guard is promising to say the least. D.J Carton was the 4th ranked point guard in this year’s recruiting class. Transfer C.J. Walker is now eligible and the junior will bring experience to the position.

Coach Holtmann’s teams have made the NCAA Tournament his first two years as the Ohio State head coach when he had to fill voids in his lineup with smaller players. It will be fun to watch the Buckeyes now that he has size and depth at every position.