Zed Key’s decline is hard to ignore.
In his last 11 appearances, the Buckeyes’ starting center is averaging 8.5 points per game on 45% shooting, and he’s gotten to the free-throw line just 2.7 times per game. Ohio State’s gone 1-10 in that stretch, also losing the one game he did not play in due to injury.
Before that, Key was a primary offensive threat for Ohio State, putting up 13.4 points per game, hitting 63.5% of his shots, pulling down 8.4 boards and taking more than four free throws per game across the first 13 of the season. At that point, the Buckeyes were sitting on a 10-3 record as a ranked team in the AP Top 25.
Key’s dropoff, which has directly coincided with Ohio State’s own, can be traced back to a singular moment. A shoulder sprain in the first half of the Buckeyes’ matchup with No. 1 Purdue on Jan. 5 left the 6-foot-8 center in a restrictive brace ever since, and Chris Holtmann said the injury and protective measures continue to slow the big man down.
“It’s not an easy injury to deal with because you get hit there a lot. Particularly if you’re a big guy,” Holtmann said on 97.1 The Fan Monday. “And also when you stretch for rebounds, extend, it certainly can put stress on that area. Zed’s physically a really tough kid. I want him to get tougher mentally in some areas. Be able to deal with the ups and downs and the emotions of the game, that’s been a challenge for him this year. But physically, he’s a tough kid and handles a high pain tolerance. He’s very durable, he’s been that way his three years. He’s just a durable kid. Physical toughness and high pain tolerance, strength for him.”
Key’s told Holtmann and the training staff that the brace makes it difficult for him to breathe when he’s running up and down the court, given that it wraps around his chest along with the injured shoulder. But Holtmann said there isn’t necessarily a preferable alternative when it comes to the protection it provides to the ailment.
Holtmann also said the injury may require surgery, but that won’t be determined until after the season.
“They’ve looked at it, they’ve looked at different options. There’s really not a better option out there to protect it,” Holtmann said. “They’ve looked at it. It affects his ability to just kind of breathe, which is pretty important. That’s what he says is just, ‘I have a hard time breathing and running.’ His fitness level’s already something that’s a constant challenge for him. There’s not really anything to be done at this point. We need to get through this season, evaluate after the season if surgery’s required. The medical team will look at that and determine if surgery’s required.”
Ohio State is now 11-14 overall and 3-11 in Big Ten play, a record that places them second-to-last in the conference standings. At this point, an NCAA Tournament only appears possible if the Buckeyes make a Cinderella run to a Big Ten Tournament title, which will only be made more difficult by their current spot in the standings.
“We feel like we can manage it through the season right now. The brace really does protect it, unless there’s something more significant.”– Chris Holtmann on Key's injury
Ohio State doesn’t have much more to lose this season, and if Key is dealing with an injury that serious, why risk exacerbating it further down the stretch? Holtmann said the medical staff believes Key’s shoulder is stable enough to last for the duration of the season, and that even a serious re-aggravation wouldn’t necessarily mean imminent surgery.
“I don’t want to speak out of turn because I don’t know if I’m as versed as I need to be in the specifics of that. But we feel like we can manage it through the season right now,” Holtmann said during a press conference at the Schottenstein Center Monday. “The brace really does protect it, unless there’s something more significant. Even if there’s something more significant, I don’t know that it would require immediate surgery. But it could mean that he has to miss another game.”
From everything Holtmann’s said on the matter, Key is more than tough enough to bear the weight of the issue for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign. Holtmann seems more concerned with Key’s ability to handle the mental anguish of the team’s recent struggles.
In the last three losses, Key averaged just six points per game, and it’s clear that frustrations are piling up. But Holtmann wants the Buckeye captain to maintain the same demeanor on the court whether things are going his way or not, and perhaps that would help him overcome his individual slump.
“He’s an emotional player, so the ability to play through. He’s got a heavier load on him now than he ever has,” Holtmann said. “So ability to play through disappointment and play in the moment with a better response to struggling play as a team or struggling play individually. He gets caught up in the moment because he’s an emotional player. He’s not always handled it with the kind of resiliency that he needs to have, and he’s got to continue to grow in that area.
“Could be a bad officiating call, could be just a moment where he missed an open look, whatever the case may be. That’s I think where he has to really just grow mentally.”
