John Mobley Jr. has quickly proven that he is (and was) more than just an outstanding shooter.
Coming out of high school, the freshman was considered the best 3-point sniper in the 2024 recruiting class, and rightfully so. He was expected to ease into his role as a microwave scorer and shotmaker off the bench. But those expectations immediately changed after Mobley scored at least 11 points in each of Ohio State's first six games, from a go-to 3-point shooter sometimes to a go-to scorer all of the time.
That became even more apparent after Meechie Johnson took a leave of absence to deal with a personal matter 10 games into the season. Mobley went from the Buckeyes' third guard to a starter six weeks into his collegiate career. Before Johnson's departure, Mobley never played more than 25 minutes per game; since Johnson's departure, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard has played at least 25 minutes per contest in nine games including 30-plus minutes in six of those games.
| Mobley's Stats (Per Game) | W/ Meechie (10 games) | W/O Meechie (11 games) |
|---|---|---|
| minutes | 21 | 30 |
| points | 12.4 | 12.8 |
| assists | 1.2 | 3.5 |
| Shots | 8.1 | 11.4 |
| fg% | 48.1% | 36% |
| 2p% | 36.7% | 41.4% |
| 3P% | 54% | 31.3% |
The increased playing time and bigger role have allowed Mobley to learn from his mistakes in real-time, even if it sometimes leads to rough patches as the freshman continues to develop his game.
“It just all comes from experiences, going game by game, being put in the fire by coach Dieb,” Mobley told The Columbus Dispatch's Adam Jardy following the win over Penn State. “Him just believing in me and putting me in the fire to make the right decisions, it takes growth.”
While Mobley has been much less efficient from beyond the arc of late, he has improved his ability to score at the rim. That paired with his ability as a passer and growth on the defensive end of the floor is a huge reason OSU is currently playing its best basketball of the season.
We are seeing a star in the making.
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 1, 2025
John Mobley Jr. is just getting started #Team126 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Ey5nwkeg75
After playing only 19 minutes – his fewest since Dec. 7 – in OSU's upset win over Purdue to snap a three-game losing streak of one-score contests, Mobley answered by putting up 12 points and dishing out a career-high eight assists in Ohio State's win over Iowa. Although he made just 4 of 13 shots, both Mobley and the team found a new dimension to the offense in that game: Using Mobley as an on-ball point guard.
"I just trust him with the ball in his hands. He makes great decisions. He can read the game really well," Jake Diebler said of Mobley following the win over the Hawkeyes. "I'm just really proud of his growth. He hasn't arrived yet. He's still got room to keep growing. He will, because he works. He's got to stay in the gym like he always has his entire life."
Not only is Diebler confident in Mobley's ability to make good decisions and lead the offense, but his use in the offense on the ball also allows star point guard Bruce Thornton to play more off the ball, bringing a completely different dynamic.
"I think Bruce is a really good shooter. It's nice if we can create some open looks for him without him having to do it for himself," Diebler said after the Iowa game. "Also, when Bruce has the ball, it's kind of an initiative in our offense. All eyes are on him. We can move him around a little bit more. I thought he did a great job attacking some closeouts when he caught the ball in the wing. Certainly, when we need a great possession, love for the ball to be in his hands.
"He did that there in the second half. I think it allows us to give Bruce a catch with the defense not being just set staring at him. That's important because as good of a scorer as Bruce is, he can be even more explosive when we can create for him with other guys. ... It makes us more dynamic offensively."
That carried over into Thursday night, leading to a dominant win over Penn State on the road, the Buckeyes' third Big Ten road win of the season after having three total the last two seasons combined.
Running plenty of point guard, Mobley had his best game of the season, totaling 19 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Mobley has just four combined turnovers against 16 assists in his past two contests. After totaling only 12 assists in the first 10 games of the season, Mobley has 38 assists in the last 11 games.
His ability to be on the ball also led to Thornton notching 17 points and two assists while making 5-of-7 3-pointers, including three that were assisted by Mobley.
"He loves to hoop, and I love that about him," Diebler said of Mobley following the win over the Nittany Lions. "He plays with a ton of aggressiveness, and we have great confidence in him. It hasn't always been that ratio. To his credit, he studies the film. He works on his game, and he's getting better and better. I've said this from day one. He had a reputation as a shooter. He is much more than that. He's a complete offensive player. He can score in the paint. He can certainly score from the three-point line. But you're seeing his ability to create and read crowds, and I think he's ahead of the curve for a freshman in that regard."
Now, Diebler views both Thornton and Mobley as players who can lead the offense at any given time.
“That’s how I view it,” Diebler said after the Penn State game. “Bruce had one of the best on-ball defenders in the country hounding him all night, and we felt like getting him off the ball, with the way their ball-screen coverages were we could create him some looks. We specifically put him in some spots off the ball to get him looks.”
While there were some rough patches, especially defensively, early in the season, Mobley believes that it was those times that have sped up his development.
“It feels good,” Mobley said Thursday night. “My whole life growing up, everybody labeled me as just a shooter but it feels good to showcase my all-around game. Defense, offense, getting people involved, getting to the basket, also shooting.”
Mobley said his experience playing point guard his senior year at Bishop Gorman High School and lessons taken from Thornton prepared him for more on-ball duties in the back half of the season.
“Very comfortable," he said of playing point guard. "I did it a lot my senior year in high school. Learning from Bruce earlier on in the season, seeing what he does, picking up things from him, now I’m able to take that role.”
Whether he's scoring points or dishing out assists, Mobley's ability as an on-ball guard has allowed Ohio State to play some of its best basketball of the season. The Buckeyes scored 80-plus points in consecutive Big Ten games for the first time since December 2023 in their victories against Iowa and Penn State. Ohio State is now 10-4 when Mobley scores at least 10 points.
Coming into the season, some college basketball analysts believed that Thornton and Johnson made up the best backcourt in the Big Ten. It appears that Ohio State may indeed have the best backcourt in the conference, just that it's the new-look duo of Thornton and its still-growing, do-it-all freshman sensation Mobley.
