Ohio State Basketball: Malaki Branham is a crucial piece

Ohio State basketball’s season-opener vs. Akron was far from pretty as they narrowly escaped with a last-second 67-66 victory.

The Buckeyes’ offensive contributions almost exclusively came from the frontcourt as the backcourt struggled. Already, it looks like the scoring ability of OSU’s guards could be a major flaw.

The true freshman Malaki Branham could be the solution after he impressed in his Ohio State debut. Before touching on why Branham could make or break the Bucks’ season, let’s look at how the backcourt performed against Akron.

The Ohio State basketball team’s guards seemed hesitant and provided little to no playmaking

Chris Holtmann sided with Jamari Wheeler and Meechie Johnson in the starting backcourt Tuesday evening. It is no secret Wheeler has offensive limitations and will primarily be a facilitator this season. However, Wheeler was far too passive in the season-opener.

In 29 minutes of play, the Penn State transfer had only three field-goal attempts (going 0-3). On several occasions, Wheeler had a driving lane or good looks but he opted to pass out of the opportunity. As mentioned, he does not have the best offensive skill set and cannot shoot a lot.

However, when Wheeler did pass out of good chances, his decision-making was not good. Far too many times Wheeler would dish off to his nearest teammate and all this did was clog up the lane and contribute to poor spacing. Wheeler needs to look for corner spot-up shooters and cutters—the Bucks’ off-ball movement has to be better if Wheeler is to find cutters though.

Adding to Wheeler’s offensive struggles, Johnson was non-existent for the most part in his 23 minutes. At a bare minimum, Johnson needs to be a quality spot-up shooter. Johnson, instead, did not make one bucket and totaled only four points from free throws with two turnovers.

Eugene Brown made little impact in his nine minutes. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the transfer Cedric Russell that averaged over 17 points last season with Louisiana. Russell rarely played since he clearly was a defensive liability. He has to play better defense if he wants to see the floor this season.

Overall, almost the entire backcourt vs. Akron did almost nothing on the offensive end. Playmaking to set up teammates was even a rare sight. Without a doubt, the frontcourt production from E.J. Liddell and Zed Key saved the night with their combined 39 points, shooting 56.7% (17/30).

With offensive production from guards already appearing like a major issue, Branham could provide some relief.

Malaki Branham made an immediate impact and was rewarded

Branham is one of the Ohio State basketball program’s highest recruits in recent years as he finished as the 38th prospect in the 2021 class. In his Buckeye debut, he did plenty of good.

Branham did not post gaudy stats with seven points while shooting 3/9. He did, however, stuff the stat sheet elsewhere with six rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. His two-way and playmaking ability was on full display in the second half.

For that reason, Holtmann played Branham extensively during the clutch. He took advantage of the task in front of him by making several game-swinging contributions.

Branham drained a pivotal corner three with 5:33 remaining to tie the game up. Next, he converted a huge driving shot with roughly 1:30 left to take the lead. The St. Vincent St. Mary alum missed a contested layup with 25 seconds remaining, but Key cleaned up the mess with a putback score. While it was a miss, Branham’s ability to get in the lane and force a contest is what allowed Key to become free to grab the offensive rebound.

To top it all off, Branham made a beautiful pass over two closing defenders to Key for the game-winning shot.

Talk about clutch…Branham did nearly everything possible to help the Buckeyes escape with a win. Holtmann was impressed afterward, crediting Branham with a never-waver mentality.

In only his first game, Branham was this impactful already. He could already be the option to start at shooting guard. The freshman wing had more minutes than both Johnson and Justice Sueing with their poor play.

Even if Sueing gets it together and brings solid production to the starting small forward spot, Holtmann may want to start Branham over Justin Ahrens. Branham brings more ability on the defensive end and has a better all-around game.

The tightly-contested win over the Zips was not pleasant for Ohio State basketball. There are loads to figure out in the backcourt after they brought no offense. The true freshman shooting guard Branham is already living up to expectations bringing a two-way skillset with the ability to make plays on the offensive end, he could be the answer in the backcourt.