Ohio State’s potential success this season largely hinges on the improvements made by its top-six returners.
There might not be a player more important to that group than point guard JaQuan Lyle.
Fair or unfair, that’s the reality of the situation. Lyle is the point guard on the floor, the leader, and his progression from Year 1 to Year 2 at the college level could go a long way in determining how successful the Buckeyes are this season.
“Him being the point guard, he’s the one who leads our team, he’s the floor general,” junior forward Jae’Sean Tate said. “We’re going to need him.”
Lyle looked like one of the Big Ten’s best players last season at times. But, like most freshman, he struggled with consistency. When Lyle played well, Ohio State usually found some success. When he wasn’t efficient, the Buckeyes struggled.
Ohio State coach Thad Matta said a lot of that stemmed from Lyle trying to make the big play every time as opposed to just keeping things simple. Then, if a mistake occurred, sometimes things began to have a snowball effect.
That happens with most freshmen, and especially with freshman point guards, and it’s something Matta hopes Lyle improved in the offseason. Matta likened it to a baseball player not trying to hit home runs every time and being OK with singles.
“I want him to be a calculated risk taker,” Matta said. “He’s a very talented individual and I think he understands the game of basketball, but for me, the biggest challenge with him is just the mental component of it and staying steady.”
“The steady would be the singles and you know what, he’s going to come down and throw a no-look alley-oop pass for a dunk at some point and that’s a home run,” Matta continued. “But I don’t know that every time, so keep it as simple as you can and keep this part [points to head] in check is the big thing.”
As a freshman, Lyle averaged 11.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He was just one of three Big Ten players to post an 11-4-4 stat line last season. The other two were Michigan’s Derrick Walton and Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine.
Lyle did struggle, however, with his turnovers — he averaged three per game — and he only shot 25.2 percent from behind the 3-point line. When asked about what he worked on most this summer, Lyle singled out exactly that, without being prompted.
“I think I’ve improved on the consistency with my shot, that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “The second thing I’ve worked on would probably be decision-making.”
An improved JaQuan Lyle means an improved Ohio State. He’s the head of the Buckeyes’ snake and, when engaged, one of the most naturally gifted players in the Big Ten.
It’s often said a player’s progression from Year 1 to Year 2 in a program is the most important step in their career. If Lyle takes the leap, that’s only good news for Ohio State.
“Everybody saw that JaQuan, at some points during the season, he took over games,” Tate said. “Then, there were some points where he wasn’t there. We just need him to be more consistent because the games that he did show up and play his best, we pretty much won.”
