The Ohio State basketball team has to do a lot of work in the Transfer Portal. After losing four players in the portal, the Buckeyes are in desperate need of a roster overhaul. The biggest needs are at the guard spot and the center spot, especially after Bruce Thornton is leaving after being the best player on the team for the last four years.
Adding Justin Pippen helped with the guard spot, but they still have a lot of work to do on that front. Right now, Ivan Njegovan is slated to start at center. Jake Diebler likely needs to find someone else to take that spot, but there hasn't been a movement towards that yet.
Bringing in players for the portal this offseason is the biggest move he has to make in his head coaching career. The Ohio State Buckeyes have now added a backup center from the SEC to help fortify the frontcourt, even if they need more of a starting center instead.
The Ohio State basketball team adds a backup center to help fix the frontcourt
According to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, the Buckeyes have added center Andrija Jelavic. Jelavic played last season with Kentucky as a freshman, averaging 5.5 points and four rebounds, starting 18 games. The Buckeyes are not bringing him in to start.
Jelavic gives Ohio State a center who can spread the floor, as he does shoot just over 27 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. It's an efficient number, but it at least gives them a center who can stretch the floor a little bit, which is not something they have on the roster at the moment.
Diebler's work in the portal is not even close to done. He still has to grab a few more guards. Adding another big man wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Ohio State needs another center who can help rebound and score, something that they haven't had in a while.