Keita Bates-Diop announced this week his intention to turn pro and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he'll become the 11th Buckeye player since Thad Matta took over the program to be selected in the NBA Draft.
The various mock drafts typically have Bates-Diop going anywhere from the mid-late first round all the way toward the back half of the second round. It's far too early to have a strong read and exactly where he'll be chosen but it seems a safe bet he'll ultimately hear him name called at some point.
Assuming the expected indeed happens, Bates-Diop will join Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, Kosta Koufos, B.J. Mullens, Evan Turner, Jon Diebler, Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas and D'Angelo Russell as Buckeyes drafted in what is only a 60-player process since Matta's arrival in 2004.
As some fans wrestle over where KBD should slot in the recent history of Buckeye greats I decided to come at that general debate from a different angle.
Let's pretend you've just been tabbed the fictional general manager of Ohio State hoops and you get to pick one Buckeye brought to Columbus by Matta that was also selected in the NBA Draft to start your roster.
Note that your evaluation of the 11 guys up for discussion should be based on what each player did in college – not to what degree each player did or didn't do to this point at the professional level. And you have no idea what the rest of your roster will look like so this is about how you evaluated the college version of the player and how much you value that player's skill-set, position, etc.
So who is your top choice? What does the rest of your list look like?
Here's one man's unscientific cut at the question.
No. 1 - Evan Turner
This was easier than I thought when I first started kicking around the idea. As I see it, there are about five guys making up the upper crust, two more in a tight cluster after that, then the rest of the pack.
But among those five, Turner emerged as my top choice because of his versatility, ability to score in a variety of ways, consistency and willingness as a passer.
Asked to do everything for the 2009-10 Buckeyes, Turner turned in a Player of the Year performance that saw him lead the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game.
| RD (OVERALL) | POS | PPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RD 1 (2) | SF | 20.4 | 51.9% | 36.4% | 75.4% | 9.2 | 6.0 |
He reached double figures in 28 of 31 games which includes two games he barely played thanks to breaking his damn back against Eastern Michigan.
A healthy Turner scored at least 14 points in every game except for a nine-point stinker on 2-of-13 shooting as the Buckeyes beat UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Unsure of what the rest of my roster might look like, I'll take Turner knowing I can plug him anywhere except center and count on him to not only score and work the glass but put his teammates in position to score as well.
No. 2 - Greg Oden
Okay, so maybe this was a little harder than I thought.
I mean, we never really ever got to see the dude at full strength and he still wrecked opposing teams at both ends of the floor in helping the Buckeyes to the 2007 NCAA Tournament final.
Forced to miss the first seven games of his freshman season with a right wrist injury, Oden played virtually one-handed for weeks after that and still dominated the competition.
| RD (OVERALL) | POS | PPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | BPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) | C | 15.7 | 61.6% | 62.8% | 9.6 | 3.3 | 0.7 |
Oden led the Buckeyes in scoring at 15.7 per game and his 9.6 rebounds per night were twice as much as any teammate (Othello Hunter, 4.5).
Even more ridiculous, Oden logged 105 blocks in 32 games while the next closest Buckeye, Hunter again, tallied 41.
Oden's dominance can't be understated, I just can't take him ahead of Turner out of concern for his ability to stay healthy. I initially thought foul trouble could be a negative but Oden only averaged 2.7 fouls per game during his one season in Columbus with one disqualification.
No. 3 - Mike Conley Jr.
My knee-jerk list had Conley in the four or five hole but as I got into writing and thinking more deeply about his one season in Columbus and my stated criteria, I just couldn't slot the floor general any lower than third.
Conley wasn't a great scorer thanks to what was then a fairly pedestrian jumper highlighted by his 30.4% accuracy from beyond the arc and a 69.4% mark from the stripe but on the other hand, the dude didn't often have to settle for long jumpers because his handles and quickness were so nasty he could get to the rim at will.
| RD (OVERALL) | POS | PPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (4) | PG | 11.3 | 51.8% | 69.4% | 3.4 | 6.1 | 2.2 |
The shifty Conley connected on a ridiculous 57.9% of his field goals inside the arc and when he wasn't penetrating to get his own look, he was dishing out 6.1 dimes per contest.
The coach on the floor was also a force on the defensive end averaging 2.2 steals per game. Similar to Turner, his ability to put his teammates in good situations puts him near the top of my list.
No. 4 - D'Angelo Russell
After finally deciding on Conley at No. 3, I had Russell in the five-hole but moved him up to his final slot at No.4. The kid did everything for the 2014-15 Buckeyes averaging 15.2 points, 5.7 boards and 5.0 assists.
In that way, he was a Turner-esque player but as a point guard, I also compared him to Conley Jr. and in the end, I couldn't put Russell ahead of either of those guys.
| RD (OVERALL) | POS | PPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (2) | PG | 19.3 | 44.9% | 41.1% | 75.6% | 5.7 | 5.0 | 1.6 |
Russell's ability to stroke it from distance is attractive (41.1%) but his overall 44.9% from the field compares unfavorably to those two. That said, it's a little hard to quantify because I think we'd all agree Russ had to take some bad/forced shots because he didn't have much help.
Still, being fourth on this list is nothing to scoff at and though his teammates weren't in the same stratosphere as Conley Jr. and Turner's, Russell did what he could to make his teammates shine as evidenced by his assist total and overall eye-test as a willing passer. I'm not trying to pile on, I swear, but how many more assists were left on the table by teammates not ready or unable to convert on nifty looks? Too many.
No. 5 - Jared Sullinger
I went with big Sully in the five hole after having him as high as No. 3 in the early going. Sullinger spent two seasons in Columbus and his freshman season was statistically stronger than his sophomore campaign, by a nose.
Putting Sullinger behind Russell is just as much about my GM hat preferring a point guard over a power forward as it is the stats because my team is going to run and gun.
| RD (OVERALL) | POS | PPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (21 OVERALL) | PF | 17.2 | 54.1% | 70.4% | 10.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
That said, Sullinger was a stud both years for the Buckeyes including averaging a double-double as a freshman with 17.2 points and 10.2 boards per game.
I like his ability to score both with his back to the basket and on the face-up especially with that smooth midrange stroke from the baseline.
Sully also worked hard to become a 77% free throw shooter in year two which was huge as he attempted 8.1 free throws per game, or 228 total, good for 99 more than second-place Aaron Craft.
No. 6 - Keita Bates-Diop
The next two spots were a battle between KDB and Deshaun Thomas and ultimately, I went with the most recent Matta product to turn pro.
The Big Ten Player of the Year showed an ability to take over games going for 20+ in 11 of his final 19 outings including four straight to finish his career while averaging 19.8 points per game for the season.
| RD (OVERALL) | POS | PPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | SF | 19.8 | 48.0% | 35.9% | 79.4% | 8.7 | 1.6 |
He worked the glass to the tune of 8.7 per and shot almost 80% from the stripe.
Bates-Diop hit 35.9% from distance and while that's not bad, I honestly would've guessed it was a hair higher.
No. 7 - Deshaun Thomas
You might be thinking I'm suffering from recency-bias but my counter is it would be more than offset by my love for Thomas. Tank was just so fun to watch especially at the offensive end of the floor.
Thomas, like KBD, averaged 19.8 points per game in his best season though his rebounds per game of 5.9 don't compare as favorably.
| RD (OVERALL) | POS | PPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 (58) | SF | 19.8 | 44.5% | 34.4% | 83.4% | 5.9% | 1.3 |
From the field, Thomas wasn't quite as efficient as KBD either connecting on 44.5% of his shots including 34.4% from downtown.
Again, Tank was a baller and completely unafraid to take a big shot but I have to give the nod to Bates-Diop in this stack rank.
THE REST
The other four guys – Jon Diebler (2nd round, 41 overall), B.J. Mullens (1, 24), Kosta Koufos (1, 23) and Daequan Cook (1,21) – won't get the capsule treatment as there is a ton of separation once you get past Thomas at No. 7.
Koufos is the best player on the list but he wasn't exactly a revered teammate during his time in Columbus so if I had to put them in order of how I'd pick, give me Diebler, Koufos, Cook and Mullens.
