With the NFL Draft going on and the NBA Draft coming up, we’re talking Buckeyes in the draft.
The NFL Draft is going on as we speak, and the NBA Draft is coming up in June, so this week we’re talking Buckeyes in the NBA Draft. Brice Sensabaugh was the most recent Buckeye to be taken in the draft, as he was taken with the 28th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. We’re not expecting to hear any Ohio State players names called in June, so we’re turning it back this week.
Last week, Connor and Justin each graded Ohio State’s off-season thus far. In one of the closest votes we’ve ever had, Justin’s choice won, and he gave the Buckeyes a “B”. 37% of the readers sided with him, while 36% sided with Connor, who gave Ohio State a “C”.
23% of the readers gave Ohio State a “D”. 3% of the readers gave Diebler and his staff an “F”, and 2% gave them an “A”.
Altogether, 75% of the readers gave Ohio State an A, B, or C.
After 201 weeks:
Connor- 89
Justin- 86
Other- 20
(There have been six ties)
This week, we are each picking a former Ohio State player that we think should’ve been drafted higher than they were. Is there a former Buckeye that you thought was destined to be a first round pick but was forgotten about and left for the second round? A lottery pick that wound up at the end of the first round?
Here are our picks:
This week’s question: Which former Ohio State basketball player should’ve been drafted higher?
Connor: Michael Redd
SetNumber: X77770 TK1 R2
Not only was Michael Redd the steal of the 2000 draft, he might be one of the biggest steals in any draft ever. After taking Ohio State to a Final Four, earning All-Big Ten honors and scoring nearly 1,900 points in three seasons, Redd was drafted 43rd overall to the Milwaukee Bucks — a second round selection.
A 6-foot-6, 220-pound guard and a product of Columbus West High School, Redd played a ton of minutes, took a ton of shots, and scored a ton of points at Ohio State. NBA teams obviously didn’t think his skills would translate perfectly, as every single team passed on him in the first round of the draft before the Bucks used their second round pick on him.
Redd would go on to score 11,554 points in 11 seasons with the Bucks, finishing sixth in franchise history in scoring. He averaged 20+ points per game every season from 2003-2009, and was an All-Star selection during the 2003-2004 season. During the 2006-2007 season, Redd finished fifth in the NBA in scoring at 26.7 points per game, behind Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Gilbert Arenas, and LeBron James.
When looking at the 2000 NBA Draft, Redd finished his career with the second-most points of all of the players drafted — ahead of super talented players like Mike Miller and Kenyon Martin. The only player who scored more than Redd from that draft was Jamal Crawford, who was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the eighth overall pick.
A funny stat — the 10 players drafted directly in front of Redd (picks 33-42) combined to score 11,692 points, which is 280 fewer points than Redd scored in his career.
Justin: William Buford
Fred Squillante/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC
I am cheating a little bit on this one because I am not taking a guy who should have been drafted higher, but a guy who just should have been drafted and went undrafted:
Ohio State star William Buford.
Buford went undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft. He played in a couple of teams’ Summer League and the G-League for a little bit, but never stuck in the NBA.
Buford left Columbus incredibly accomplished. He was a two-time second-team All-Big Ten in 2011 and 2012, a third-team All-Big Ten in 2010, and a Big Ten freshman of the Year in 2009. He also made the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2009.
In high school, he was a First-team Parade All-American, McDonald’s All-American, and Ohio Mr. Basketball, all in 2008. He averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds a game in the prep ranks, and in his senior season at Ohio State he averaged 14.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Following the season, Buford was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. He was also named a Lowe’s Senior Class Award finalist.
Before his senior season at Ohio State, Buford was a preseason All-Big Ten selection and a Top-50 Naismith and Wooden Award watch.
Buford was a pure scorer and a hooper for the Buckeyes. He wasn’t the best defender and had cold spells, but could create his own shot off the dribble and was a mid-range killer, similar to a DeMar DeRozan.
I believe he should have been drafted no matter how his NBA career went. He deserved more of a shot with the offensive game he had. He did enjoy a very successful NBA career and won a TBT championship.