Ohio State Basketball: Kaleb Wesson not taken in NBA Draft
By Ryan Stano
The former Ohio State basketball player entered the 2020 NBA draft with high hopes of being selected but ultimately was passed up by all 30 teams.
The Ohio State basketball program hasn’t had a player drafted since Keita Bates-Diop was taken in the second round in 2018. In fact, there are only four former Buckeyes left in the NBA at the moment. Those players are Bates-Diop, Mike Conley, Evan Turner, and D’Angelo Russell.
After the NBA Draft was finished on Wednesday night, those are still the only Buckeyes in the league. Kaleb Wesson was not selected by any of the 30 teams in the league. This was the case despite being the best three-point shooter of anyone in pre-draft workouts.
Wesson worked very hard on getting himself in better shape since high school. He was listed at 290 pounds during his senior year in high school. He was able to slim all the way down to 254 pounds before his pre-draft workouts, showing a significant body change.
Despite putting up 14 points and 7 rebounds a game to go along with 43% shooting from deep this past season at Ohio State, teams opted to pass on him. There are several reasons why teams probably decided to pass on Wesson’s talents.
The biggest reason is Wesson’s lack of athleticism. He is not a high leaper at all. Wesson also struggles to move laterally, which is tied to his weight. While that has improved, it hasn’t improved his defense enough to guard any position in particular.
He is also very undersized for a center, even in today’s NBA. He really has no position that he can guard and his offense isn’t quite good enough for him to justify playing time. It is disappointing to see him work so hard and not hear his name get called on draft night though.
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It’s unclear what Wesson’s next move is. Perhaps he can sign with a G-League team and impress someone enough to give him a chance at the NBA level someday. Maybe he goes to play overseas. Whatever his next step is, we will be watching and we wish him the best of luck!