Ohio State basketball: How Malaki Branham could come back

The Ohio State basketball team knew that they were losing at least one of their players to the NBA at the end of the season. E.J. Liddell let it be known pretty much from the start of the season that this was going to be his last year with the Buckeyes. That ended up being true.

About midway through the Big Ten Conference schedule, a second Buckeye departing for the NBA suddenly became possible. That’s when Malaki Branham started to play really well. Suddenly, mock drafts were popping up with him listed as a first-round pick.

Branham decided to announce today that he is indeed entering his name into the NBA Draft. However, he is not hiring an agent. He is keeping his collegiate eligibility intact, leaving a possibility for him to return. He announced this on his Twitter page.

With him keeping his eligibility alive, there is a chance he comes back for his sophomore season. Really the only way that Branham comes back is if he isn’t going to be a first-round pick. He mentioned this to ESPN. So if he gets feedback that he won’t be a first-rounder, he’ll return to Columbus.

Branham specifically said he needs to be in the first round. Not a lottery pick, just in the first round. That means that there is very little chance that he returns to the Ohio State basketball team next season. There’s no way that he falls out of the first round.

With that being said, crazier things have happened. If you’re a Buckeye fan that wants him back, you better hope scouts see that he still needs work dribbling and with his defense. Hope that those two things make him not as viable to be a first-round pick right now.

Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening. All the best to Branham at the next level!